Surprise in the Mountains
by AlexandraO
Summary: Hermione Granger is appalled that Death Eaters who had been coerced into serving the Dark Lord are being thrown into Azkaban. Retreating into the mountains, she hopes for solitude to research their cases, but what she gets is much, much more.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: This story was inspired by an aesthetic for the Wordsmiths & Betas Holiday Aesthetic Creation. The aesthetic was created by me, AlexandraO. Originally intended as a one-shot, this will turn into a short multi-chaptered fic. _

_Disclaimers: All canon characters, plots, and situations from the Harry Potter series belongs to JK Rowling. I am not profiting from this work. Colin Mulciber and Malcolm Avery are my takes on the canon characters, Mulciber and Avery. All mistakes are mine._

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Six months ago at the conclusion of the Second Wizarding War, Hermione sat in the lowest level of the Ministry of Magic for weeks, presenting relevant information when needed to the Wizengamot. Otherwise, she was practically glued to her seat curious about the outcomes for the rest of the trials. Not to mention, she thought it would be helpful to know how the court system worked as she wanted to go into Magical Law Enforcement once she finished her N.E.W.T's. Sitting in on the various court sessions, Hermione was horrified to learn that several followers of Voldemort had been coerced into committing their crimes through extortion and other means such as threatening their families, or at the very worst —the Imperius Curse. Yet, they were still being charged harshly for their crimes despite the circumstances.

The Wizengamot seemed not to care, and neither did the public. Before the trials were even complete, she started her research on the wrongly imprisoned residents of Azkaban. She vowed that she would do whatever it took to find evidence to free those who did not deserve a life behind bars. Many who knew they were about to be imprisoned made a run for it, fleeing the country, escaping in the darkness. She was sure some ran because they were guilty, others only fleeing unwilling to spend the rest of their days in prison, branded a criminal.

Hermione always worked best in the solitude of the library but felt that a holiday was in order to really focus on the task at hand. She was currently standing at the edge of her bed, packing the last of the essentials she would need for her two week trip into the mountains. Being completely isolated in the mountains was exactly what Hermione needed and her friends agreed. What they didn't know was that she wanted it to focus on research…they were hoping she was going for some rest and relaxation. They, of course, were sad that she would be gone for the Christmas holiday but understood the need to leave. Even after a few months, the press still hoarded 'The Golden Trio' each time they were spotted in public. Being hoarded continuously by reporters was by far their least favorite part of being war heroes.

She flung her backpack over her shoulders, sagging under the weight. Although she had performed an undetectable extension charm, it was filled to the brim with law books and paperwork of every single follower of Voldemort. Picking up her small bag filled with belongings, she made her way to the living room where she would be flooing to the cabin she had reserved.

Stepping into the fireplace and grabbing a handful of floo powder she shouted, "Scenic Solitude" and was whisked away to her destination. Stepping out of the fireplace, a fire immediately sprung in her place. Wood must have been burning before she had arrived and stopped to let her through. It was curious that the cabin was already warm; the person who owned the cabin had said nothing of getting the cabin ready for her arrival. Shrugging it off as a miscommunication, she dropped her two bags in the kitchen and started on breakfast.

Opening the fridge and cabinets, they were stocked with everything she could need over the next two weeks.

She sang as she moved around the kitchen, belting out her favorite muggle Christmas songs. Her omelet smelled heavenly. Eggs combined with ham, mushrooms and green peppers were her favorite. Busy singing to herself and finishing her omelet, she hadn't heard the creak on the stairs alerting her to another presence in the small cabin. Turning around with a plate in one hand and a glass in the other, she realized a man was standing at the edge of the kitchen. She dropped the dishes, and they broke into little pieces scattering across the wooden floor.

Her reflexes taking over, she drew her wand. He put his hands in the air, surrendering. She lowered her wand but kept a tight grip not willing to take a chance. She thought he looked familiar, but couldn't place him.

"Who are you?" she demanded, trying to keep her voice steady. The war still had its' effect on her and finding a strange man in a supposedly empty cabin was more than a shock. She was sure to have nightmares plague her dreams when she tried to sleep.

"Colin Mulciber…" he said, trailing off. "…and you're Hermione Granger." She was surprised at how sure of himself he was. She looked at him curiously. He was obviously a wizard since he hadn't flinched when she drew her wand and he knew her by name. Most likely he recognized her from The Daily Prophet and the horrid photos they took each time she was out.

She mulled his name around in her head, trying to figure out where she had heard that name before. Going through names in her head, she realized she recognized the name from the trials.

"Colin Mulciber," she said, rolling the name around on her tongue. He looked surprised when she dropped her wand to her side and started cleaning up the mess on the floor. She ignored him while she vanished the broken pieces of the dishware and put the food in the trash. Leaning against the counter, she looked at him taking in his full figure.

He looked rugged almost. But she assumed that was probably because he was on the run. The aurors were looking for him for skipping out on his trail. He must have just woken up looking at the state of his clothing. His white tee was rumpled, and his boxers were hanging dangerously off his hips.

"Why are you here?" she questioned him, still tempted to call the aurors. She wanted to give him a chance to explain himself since she was about to help several others like him, in similar situations.

"I think you already know the answer to that, cup—cake," he said, drawing out the pet name. She shivered at his voice. It was gravely and deep. Attempting to ignore the burn that had started in her stomach, she narrowed her eyes at the pet name and ignored him.

"You're right; I do know. You are a death eater about to be convicted of his crimes committed during the Second Wizarding World," she snapped, losing patience. "I am asking specifically what you are doing in this cabin." She crossed her arms and stared at him, willing him to be serious and give her the answers she was looking for.

"I needed someplace to go. I saw that this cabin was empty yesterday, so I took it upon myself to reside in it for the time being," he admitted. He yawned and scratched his head, supposedly unaware of the seriousness of his predicament.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, moving towards the fridge.

"Wouldn't you like to know," she shot back.

"I would, but if you don't want to tell me…" he trailed off. "Nevermind." He shook his head, apparently annoyed with her unwillingness to cooperate. The nerve he had! He was annoyed with her, yet she was supposed to be here; he wasn't.

"Just leave me alone," she huffed, walking towards the living room. She turned back to him before entirely leaving the room.

"I mean it. I will not hesitate to call the aurors if you so much as disturb me at all," she threatened, waving her arms. Storming out of the room, she stomped into the sitting area and plopped down onto the sofa. She needed to think.

Colin watched as the little witch waved her arms and shook her fingers at him, threatening to turn him into the authorities. He laughed at the notion. There was no way she was going to do that. He knew that for a fact; her reputation preceded her. She had too good of a heart not to hear him out and help him gain a second chance to live the life he always wanted.

He had lied to her when she asked why he was there. He hadn't just found this cabin in the mountains by mistake. Before fleeing the country, he had disillusioned himself and sat in on several of the trials near her. He saw the notes she took and the injustice she saw. He knew she was about to embark on a journey to help him and others who were subject to The Dark Lord's threats and forced to follow him.

Once he heard that she was taking a holiday to the mountains to this cabin, he made sure to apparate and arrive before she did. He altered his story slightly so that she might feel more empathetic toward him. Maybe when she calmed down would he reveal his true intentions for his arrival in the cabin. In the meantime, breakfast would be a good start. She was undoubtedly pouting in the other room on an empty stomach.

He moved around the kitchen, cooking as a muggle would having left his wand upstairs as not to scare her. He remade what she had prepared herself and walked into the living room on a search for the little witch.

"Hermione, where are you?" he called, hoping the use of her given name rather than a pet name would warm her up to him.

He found her lounging on the sofa staring into the fire, her eyes wholly blank and void of emotion. "Hermione," he called again, as he sat down in the chair next to her. She snapped out of her stupor and looked at him in confusion.

"Here," he said, holding out the plate. She took the plate from him, and he laughed when she sniffed her food. "Your food is safe with me. Killing you off would not benefit me in the slightest. I need you."

Her head snapped up to him again with his confession. "What do you mean 'I need you'?" she said, her voice steady.

"I mean, I need you. Come on Hermione. You didn't really think that I just happened to be in this cabin at the same time as you do you?"

"I thought…" she started.

"I know what you thought," he interrupted her. "You were giving me the benefit of the doubt by believing what I said earlier was true."

He watched as she slid the plate onto the coffee table and sat silently and unmoving.

"You should eat. We can talk later," he said, motioning to the abandoned omelet.

She nodded her head and ate in silence, no longer looking his way. She was trustworthy; he appreciated that. He needed someone he could rely on, especially at a time such as this. He had taken a chance that she wouldn't immediately call her friends and the aurors—a chance that seemed to be currently working in his favor.

He finished and waited for her to finish as well. As she took her last bite, he took her plate to the kitchen wanting a quick second to pull his thoughts together before he spoke with her. He walked back into the living room with his thoughts composed to see the witch cross-legged on the floor, papers spread out all across the coffee table.

Deciding not to question it and join her, he sat across from her the fire at his back. She didn't look up nor say anything as he sat down, so he just let her work. He was almost mesmerized by how meticulous her notes were. She had paid attention to the smallest details during the trials and had taken detailed notes on all of the known Death Eaters.

"What are you looking for?" he asked her, finally curious about what exactly she was doing.

"I am looking for a way to get Death Eaters out of Azkaban who were wrongly imprisoned," she said, throwing the papers down. She leaned back on the sofa, rubbing her temples.

"It's quite the task which is why I came here. I wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle of my everyday life."

"By coming here alone on holiday?" She glared at his comment.

"I am perfectly happy in solitude," she huffed.

He put his hands up once more in surrender. "Okay, okay. I won't meddle. But that is the real reason I need you. If caught, I am about to be wrongly convicted of crimes I was forced to commit."

She looked surprised at his comment. Although willing to give people the benefit of the doubt, she had still most likely assumed that he was somewhat responsible for the crimes he had committed.

"Tell me about your time as Death Eater," she said softly.

"Well, it all started one night when I was sitting at home with my parents. My parents were blood purists; I won't deny that, but they didn't believe ridding the world completely of mudblo—" he paused and a flush crept up his cheeks realizing his mistake. He looked at her; she still had an impassive look on her face, so he continued.

"They didn't believe in ridding the world completely of muggleborns, but didn't stop the Dark Lord from taking over either," he said, scratching his head. It pained him to talk about certain aspects of the past. Especially since after all these years, he still felt himself entirely at blame for what had happened.

"So what happened?" the witch questioned him.

"The Dark Lord wasn't very pleased that my family refused to choose a side. They never told anyone where their loyalties truly lied and he, of course, wanted them to declare their loyalty to him," he paused, trying to catch his breath. His chest was aching with anxiety. He had never spoken about what had happened that night. He had shoved it deep down into his soul, burying his emotions and refusing to talk about it to anyone.

He closed his eyes, trying to calm himself. Feeling a warm hand grasp his, he looked up in surprise. The little witch across from him was looking at him in sympathy, her eyes filled with kindness. His heart swelled, knowing someone at least cared a little. They had never met before besides across from each other on the battlefield, and she already seemed to trust him.

With her encouraging hand, he let the rest of the story spill from his lips unable to stop the emotions emerging with it.

"He killed them. The Dark Lord and his followers showed up at our home and killed them," he spat out in anger, silent tears rolling down his face. He pulled his hand away from hers and wiped the moisture from his face. Taking a deep breath, he continued.

"Before he killed them, he 'promised' them their lives if they gave him me and I would serve him without question. They refused. After they died, he forced me anyways. I was under the Imperius curse for almost my entire service to him. The only time it stopped was when he vanished during the first Wizarding War. Even then I wasn't free. I was trapped in Azkaban for crimes I committed while unable to stop myself. Once he returned, I went to him knowing he would find me and kill me if I didn't. He knew I still couldn't be trusted, so I was put under the curse again. He fell at the final battle, and my mind became my own once again," he said, breathing deeply. The words had fallen from his mouth with no filter, and so quickly, he almost couldn't remember what he had said.

The witch across from him said nothing. With her eyebrows furrowed she seemed to be rooted in thought. He was worried she might not agree to help him after knowing everything. There are only a few ways to prove that someone had been under the Imperius curse. One was to sift through the mind with legilimency, showing the blurred memories. The second was to take a mental health test, testing the functions of the brain. It was well known that being under curses for extended periods of time affected the mind.

"Well, help me go through these documents. Maybe we can find something that will let you off the hook," she said, at last, turning back to the papers in front of her. Without further conversation, they both dug into the paperwork looking at testimonies, and transcriptions of memories. Their research lasted into the afternoon, both forgoing lunch not wanting to tear their eyes away from the task at hand.

He was deep in thought looking at the testimony and memory transcriptions of his best friend — Malcolm Avery. He was currently in Azkaban serving two life sentences for his role in the first and second Wizarding Wars. There was no doubt that Avery was guilty of everything he was accused of. During their Hogwarts years, Avery had studied the Dark Arts more than anyone, and it was his dream was to join the Dark Lord's forces. His only redeeming quality that he was loyal. Especially to him.

At the end of the memory transcription, he jumped to his feet and yelled in surprise, startling the witch across from him.

"What is it?" she asked, jumping to her feet as well.

"I found something!" he shouted, shoving the papers into her hand. He watched as her eyes scanned the documents so quickly, they appeared blurred. As she finished, she looked up at him and smiled.

"This should certainly help suspend your sentence in Azkaban," she said, handing the paper back to him. "Now, let's break for the rest of the evening. I, for one, am famished. Two, we need to celebrate." She sashayed out to the kitchen, leaving him to his thoughts. He couldn't believe it; he was going to be able to live his life! Finally, he would be free after all these years.

He walked into the kitchen and found Hermione much like he had earlier in the day. Moving her way around the kitchen, she was singing another muggle Christmas song at the top of her lungs. He watched as she cooked with such ease, almost as if it was a calming agency. As a young boy, he had always enjoyed sneaking down to the kitchens to watch the house-elves cook. Plus, they always pampered him, giving him enough sweets to put someone in a coma. He took a seat at the small table in the kitchen and continued to watch her. Sitting quietly, he observed her, taking in all of her features. She was petite, her hair falling in large curls around her face. Her cheeks were dimpled and had delicate features. She wore muggle clothes—jeans and a tee which didn't surprise him. Most muggleborns chose not to wear robes when they had a chance.

Overall, he couldn't think of just one word to describe her. She was charming, fascinating, delightful; the list just went on, and he had barely begun to delve beneath the surface. If he was honest with himself, he found her extremely attractive which made him feel like a dirty old man. He was in his mid-30's while she was just of age in the Wizarding World. It wasn't against the rules to have such substantial age gap in the Wizarding World, but it was certainly frowned upon in various social circles.

She turned around, and he surprised her for the second time that day. She abruptly stopped singing and smiled sheepishly at him.

"Don't stop on my account," he told her. She just shook her head and turned back toward the stove.

"Ready to eat?" she asked, turning around once more this time with two full plates. He nodded, and she brought over the dishes, setting one in front of herself and one in front of him.

She sat down across from him and began to eat in silence, much like they had during breakfast that morning. After a few moments, she broke the silence.

"So," she said, chewing fully before speaking again. "What can you tell me about your friend Avery?"

He thought for a moment before responding. "He was your typical Death Eater. During school, he fell deeper and deeper into the Dark Arts and was drawn to the dark side as most Slytherins were. He joined the Dark Lord without hesitation. It put a little rift in our friendship, but he was still loyal to me and I to him. He was my best friend."

"Hmmm," she thought out loud.

"What are you thinking?"

"I am trying to think how we can use his testimony. Most of the time, memories of Death Eaters don't count for much. They are considered untrustworthy. Though, as I am a war heroine I can use some of that influence."

"You don't seem like the type of person to do that."

"To help people?" she questioned.

"No, you misunderstand me. Some would say that use of power in that way to be immoral."

"Do you want me to help you or not?" she said, clearing the table of their dishes. He felt exasperated. All he was trying to tell her was that he didn't want her to use her power as a war heroine because it could make her seem dishonest. The ministry fell during the past two wars because those who had power had used their influence in the right places with the right people. With their world still in such a delicate state, her trying to use her influence could be taken the wrong way.

He walked over to where she was standing and placed his arms on each side of her, trapping her in between. She turned around and looked at him, fire flaring in her hazel eyes.

"Listen to me, Hermione," he said. "All I was trying to say was to be careful of how you use your influence. Corruption was common in the ministry over the past two years. That is how the ministry fell during the Second Wizarding War. Some might even accuse you of using your influence for your own personal gain."

"I'm using my influence for good. For people who don't deserve a life in prison. I am trying to help you; don't you understand that?" she said quietly.

"I do," he said, cupping her chin. "Thank you."

She nodded her head, and as he removed his arms, she scampered off to the other room. "Way to go, Colin," he said to himself, shaking his head. "You scared her off. Now she isn't going to help you."

How wrong he was. He walked into the living room, and the witch was once again pouring over the documents they had looked at earlier in the day.

"Cupcake, I thought we were going to celebrate and take the rest of the night off?" he said, looking at her with his best puppy dog eyes, hoping she would look at him.

She did, and she laughed. "I suppose we did say that, didn't we?" She stalked off toward the kitchen and returned moments later with two glasses and an already open bottle of wine.

"Wine?" she said, placing the glasses side by side on the coffee table.

"Please," he said. He almost laughed at his manners; his mother would be proud. She handed the glass of white wine to him, holding hers out gesturing him to do the same.

"Cheers!" they said simultaneously. She laughed happily as they clinked their glasses together. He was never a huge fan of wine as he enjoyed the burn of whiskey, but he would take what he could get. If this was her way of celebrating, he wasn't going to complain.

They sat side by side on the sofa, gazing into the fireplace. The silence was nice, but he wanted to know more about the witch sitting next to him. He knew of her of course. He remembered seeing her in the Daily Prophet and briefly at the final battle. Perhaps, even Dolohov had mentioned her once or twice. Why that was, he had no idea.

"So you know almost everything there is to know about me. What can you tell me about yourself in return?" he asked, taking a sip of his wine.

"Nothing," she said quietly, shrugging her shoulders. He almost laughed until he realized she was completely serious.

"What do you mean, nothing?"

"I mean there is nothing to know about me. Everyone already seems to know everything about me."

He thought he heard her say 'stupid Rita Skeeter' under her breath, and being who he was; he pressed her on it.

"What about Rita Skeeter?" She looked at him in horror, and he laughed. "Yeah, I heard you. So what about her?"

"She is a vile woman," Hermione spat, chugging the rest of her wine and pouring more from the bottle into her glass.

"She started harping on me in my fourth year, writing lies in the Daily Prophet. I guess you could say that is when our battle against each other really started. I eventually retaliated."

"Knowing what I know about you, I assuming it wasn't pretty."

"You're right. I trapped her in a jar."

"A jar? How did you manage that?"

"She was an unregistered animagus, and I figured out that was how she was sneaking onto the grounds after Dumbledore banned her during the Triwizard Tournament. After the tournament when Harry was in the Hospital Wing, I caught her on the windowsill eavesdropping and put her in a jar. I threatened to expose her unless she abstained from writing horrible things for one year. It worked." She shrugged and kept drinking her wine.

He was stunned and wanted to laugh at how casual this conversation turned into. He didn't think that the witch had it in her to be spiteful, but he was wrong. To be honest, he was impressed, and he let her know.

"I am surprised, cupcake."

She narrowed her eyes once more at the nickname but didn't correct him. "'Cause I don't seem like the type to do that? Right?" He nodded.

"Just between you and me, I mean I have never told anyone this, but sometimes I know I should have been sorted somewhere other than Gryffindor."

"What makes you think you belonged anywhere other than Gryffindor?" He was curious about what the witch thought about herself. She looked off into the distance for a few moments, taking several sips of wine before turning back to him.

"Well, I find myself to be pretty clever. I would have fit into Ravenclaw quite well for the same reasons I was made fun of in Gryffindor. I also think that I would have fit into Slytherin despite being muggleborn. I am extremely ambitious. Once I set my mind to something, I use any means to achieve my goal."

He just nodded his head, mulling over what she had just told him. She definitely would have had a rough time in Slytherin being a muggleborn, but he could see the traits in her. Thinking about what he wanted to say next, he filled his glass finishing off the bottle.

"Was your time in Gryffindor that bad? Like were you wishing to be placed elsewhere?"

"At first I was. I was made fun of for being overly excited during class, always knowing the answer, etc and not only by Gryffindor's. I had one friend for the first couple of months and we stuck to each other because he was bullied as well. Around Halloween is when Harry, Ron and I became friends."

He could tell the alcohol was taking its toll on the little witch. She had drunk a lot for her petite frame and was starting to nod off, wine glass in hand. Reaching over, he plucked the glass out of her hand. She mumbled in retaliation but was too far gone to care.

Setting his own wine glass down, he picked up the witch and carried her to the bedroom. Laying her on the bed, he transfigured her clothing into pajamas and pulled the covers up to her chin. Not willing to sleep on the sofa, he thought sharing a bed wouldn't be a problem as long as he stayed on his side. She would probably be horrified in the morning, thinking the worst, but he would deal with that when the time came.

He laid down next to her, drifting off to sleep hoping he drank enough to keep his nightmares at bay.

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 _Let me know what you think! XOXO._


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: This chapter includes aspects of of law in the muggle world and I have translated it to the magical world. I am not an expert, nor do I pretend to be. What I know came from a class in college and the lovely internet. All mistakes are mine._

 _Disclaimer: All canon characters, plot, and situations from the Harry Potter series belongs to JK Rowling. I am not profiting from this work._

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Hermione awoke the next morning her head pounding, cursing herself for finishing off the bottle of wine the night before. She groaned realizing an arm securely fastened over her middle. It tightened as she attempted to wriggle free.

Opening her eyes, she was surprised to see that she was in the bedroom. The last thing she remembered from the night before was dozing off on the couch. Looking next to her, Colin laid there face down with a pillow over his head obviously awake, but unwilling to succumb his eyes to the sunlight.

"Colin, wake up," she whispered, placing her hand on his back shaking him slightly. He opened one eye and groaned in response. She had hoped that he was faring better than her, but her assumption was incorrect. Removing his arm from her waist, she padded to the bathroom hoping to find a hangover potion. Looking in the medicine cabinet, she had no such luck. Knowing she had some in her overnight bag that she had left in the living room, she trekked down the stairs to the living room. Hiking the bag over her shoulder, she moved to the kitchen where to summoned two glasses and filled them with water. The hangover potion was God's gift to man, but the taste was less than favorable.

The stairs creaked as she made her way back up the stairs and into the bedroom. The bed was empty, and the bathroom door shut. She pulled out two vials of hangover potion and waited for Colin to come back into the room. Moments later, the door swung open and he ambled back to the bed collapsing onto it.

"That bad?" Hermione asked, laughing. She stopped and grimaced, the laugh increasing the pain of her headache. "Here." She handed him a vial of the hangover potion, taking the other for herself. She uncorked it and threw it back in one gulp, grabbing for the water from the bedside table to hopefully drown out the taste. She grabbed the other glass for Colin waiting for him to swallow the potion. Handing over the water, he gulped it down and collapsed back on the bed. Hermione felt the potion already working, her headache subsiding.

"Feeling better?" she asked.

He nodded and sat up once more. "Thank you. I don't usually drink wine, so the hangover was worse than normal."

"I love wine, but I agree. The hangover is the worst."

"What's the plan for today?" he asked, changing the subject.

"I figured we could continue our research from yesterday and start building your case," she told him. He nodded.

"Well let's get some breakfast and get to work."

* * *

They spent the morning rifling through the rest of the paperwork regarding Colin. They took a quick break for lunch where Hermione allowed her mind to rest, so it was fresh for the rest of the afternoon. Once they returned to the paperwork covered living room, Hermione got to thinking about the ins and out of the trial process. A trial in front of a Wizengamot was similar to a trial in the muggle world. To even try to persuade the Wizengamot and Head of the Wizengamot, the Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, they needed to prepare.

"Colin?"

"Hmmm," he hummed in response, not looking up from the paperwork in his hand.

"I think we need to practice for the trial before we start worrying about the other cases. I know a fair trial in front of the Wizengamot is very similar to a trial in the muggle world. Those who practice for the trials are often more successful than not."

"What do you mean practice? The only trials I have seen is where the accused has no representation and the Head of the Wizengamot states the crime, they vote and then the accused is shipped off to Azkaban," he said, his brow furrowed. "That is how my first trial went anyways."

"Well, that was hardly a fair trial now, was it?"

"True," he agreed. "Less than fair. Inhuman actually."

Hermione just gave him a look. "What do I need to do to practice for this trial then? I am not familiar with how it all works."

"You know, this is why there needs to be a combination class covering both muggle and magical studies," she said, the gears in her brain already putting together plans for her next project.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. One project at a time cupcake. Just tell me what we need to do."

"Alright so for all of this to make sense, I will explain all the details of a typical trial first." Colin nodded his head in understanding.

"So in a fair trial for a criminal case, there is the prosecution, which is the Ministry in this case, and the defendant, which is you," Hermione started. "The first thing that happens is an opening statement for both parties. The attorney representing the Ministry first will present their opening statement first, then the attorney representing the defense will do the same. After—,"

"Wait, what do you mean 'attorney representing the defense will do the same'?" he said, almost in a panic tone.

"I can't represent you."

"What?!" he shouted. "Why the hell not?"

"I am not a qualified lawyer. Just like in the muggle world, one must go through proper schooling before becoming a lawyer. After going through schooling and passing an exam, an offer is usually made by the Magical Law Enforcement to join their team," she explained. She grabbed his hand. "I would if I could."

"Aren't you friends with the Minister? Can't he make an exception for you?" he asked, apparently desperate to find a way to have Hermione represent him.

"Didn't you just give me a lecture yesterday about corruption inside the Ministry?"

His face turned red, and he looked down at the floor. "You're right. But how are we going to find someone who wants to represent ME!" he said, emphasizing the last word. Hermione knew he was convinced that no one in their right mind, besides her of course, would want to champion a known Death Eater, no matter how innocent or guilty her claimed.

"We will find someone, I promise. Now, shall we get back to the logistics of the trial?" She wanted to change the subject as quickly as possible, hoping to get his mind off of the idea of someone else representing him.

"Okay, but don't think I don't know what you are doing. We will need to talk about different lawyers later."

She stuck her tongue out at him, hoping to diffuse more of the tension that had gathered in the last few minutes. "You caught me. But seriously, we need to focus."

He gestured to her notes, and she continued where she had left off before they got side-tracked.

"Okay, so after the opening statements by both parties' lawyers—" Hermione started, but was interrupted once more.

"Wait, wait, wait. You're going to have to explain this more in depth. I never studied law. What all is encompassed in an opening statement?"

"Right, sorry. I'm getting ahead of myself. The purpose of an opening statement is to outline the facts of the case to the Wizengamot and what each side will attempt to establish through the presentation of evidence. So each side will claim different things are facts and what they believe is the truth."

"So then all this evidence is presented I assume to prove our case?"

"Correct. After the opening statements, both sides will be given a chance to present relevant evidence. The prosecution will go first and present all of the evidence that supports his contentions followed by the defendant's attorney who presents his evidence," Hermione explained.

Colin pointed to all of the paperwork currently surrounding them. "What all is considered evidence? Are we allowed to use everything here?"

"It depends. As long as all of the evidence is in the form of a written document, an object, a photograph, or an x-ray. Although most evidence will be presented in the form of spoken testimony of witnesses who have taken an oath to tell the truth."

"So, Avery could get called to the stand?"

"He could. It would be ideal to have him there in person, rather than just a deposition from him. I'll have to see what I can do about that," she said, taking down a note to speak with Kingsley about the situation.

"But back to the evidence part of the trial. Our attorney would most likely be the first one to call on you to answer questions. It's called direct examination. Usually, these are questions to help your case and clarify anything the Wizengamot might be confused about it."

"Seems easy enough. Is that what you wanted to practice?"

"Yes, but what we need to focus on is the cross-examination. There are two types of cross-examination —constructive and destructive. The attorney for the ministry will most likely try to use constructive cross-examination before morphing into destructive. With destructive cross-examination, their goal will be to destroy or at least, seriously hurt your credibility. Their goal is to establish immediate control over you and in the minds of the Wizengamot."

"How do they establish that control?"

"Unfortunately they usually ask only leading questions or questions that require only a yes or no answer. The point of their cross-examination is to argue their side of the case."

"How will I ever try to explain myself then?"

"Hopefully, you can barge in a couple of words here and there other than yes or no. Just in case, I will work with your lawyer to make sure during your direct examination, we are asking the right questions. However, I think with our evidence everything will be okay."

"This just makes me extremely nervous," Colin admitted to her.

"As it would anyone. But during that cross-examination, it is important that you keep your cool. It could ruin your entire case if you let your temper show."

"Now that will not be easy, especially if the lawyer gets in my face. Is there anything left in the trial after the presentation of evidence?"

"That is why we will practice so that you know what to expect. And yes, there are few more aspects of the trial after that. Next are the closing arguments. Like the opening statement and evidence, the prosecution will go first followed by your attorney. The closing arguments are where the evidence and testimonies are summed up, and the attorneys try to persuade the Wizengamot to find favor for their side," Hermione explained, as she rose from the floor.

"And that's it?"

"Pretty much," she said, nodding, now pacing in front of the fire. "After the closing arguments, the Wizengamot will leave the room to deliberate the case. Kingsley, as the Minister of Magic, will preside over the discussion to make sure it's carried on in a free and orderly manner. Every member of the Wizengamot will have an opportunity to speak. Then they come back into the courtroom after deliberation and Kingsley states the Wizengamot's decision."

"How long does that normally take?"

"Just depends. It could be minutes, hours, even days."

"Days?" he asked her. She nodded in response. She could tell that he was almost horrified by the idea that he could be locked in a ministry prison cell for several days while the Wizengamot deliberated.

"Come here," she said, walking towards him. He stood up and she wrapped his arms around his middle. They might have only met yesterday, but she felt for him. He was a lost soul and her heart was reaching out to him.

"Hopefully it won't be that long," she said, her voice muffled from her mouth being against his shirt. "I hope they are sympathetic toward you and realize none of this was your fault."

"I hope so too," she heard him whisper. They stood there for a while until he pushed her away, so she was an arm's length away.

"How about a snack and then we can start practicing?" he asked her. She smiled. "That sounds perfect." As he left for the kitchen, Hermione stretched her limbs. They were sore from sitting on the ground cross-legged the last few hours explaining the logistics of a trial.

Colin returned moments later with tea and crumpets with honey.

"Crumpets? How did you make those so quickly?" she asked, as he set the tea and crumpets on the coffee table, not bothering to move any papers out of the way.

"It's a secret!" he said, laughing. "I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you." Hermione laughed with him. She would have never expected him to quote Sherlock Holmes from _The Hounds of Baskervilles,_ but she realized she didn't know a lot about him. But she wanted to.

She wanted to know more about him. She wanted him to delve down into the deepest parts of his soul and share his secrets.

"What do you like to do for fun?" she asked, curious about what hobbies the ex-death eater enjoyed.

"What do I do for fun?" he said, repeating her question back to her. She rolled her eyes.

"That's what I said, Colin." She laughed.

"I guess I don't know anymore," he admitted. Hermione's face immediately fell and her laughter subsided.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, lowering her head. She had temporarily forgotten that he had spent a significant amount of his life locked behind bars and at the mercy of the Dementors. He was someone who had lost himself over the years and never really found the person he used to be again.

"Hey, cupcake. Don't be sorry. It's not your fault."

"I know," she said, close to tears. "I just feel bad. You had to unwillingly participate in a war and serve a man who killed your parents."

"How about this? I am interested in potions; I was always quite good at it. I also enjoy reading, but not this," he said gesturing to law books spread across the floor. "I enjoy fiction writing. The people I used to call friends would rip me apart if they knew this, but especially muggle fiction."

"Really?" Hermione asked, smiling once more. "What is your favorite?"

"Have you ever read Cross Stitch?"

"No way! That is one of my favorite books! The entire series is bloody brilliant! Historical Fiction is one of my favorite genres. But how did you get it? It was published when you were still incarcerated," Hermione spewed out, forgetting to breathe in her excitement.

"Azkaban was horrible, but to keep us quiet and from fighting they gave us books. They thought it would punish us more to give us books that were written by muggles. Most didn't touch the books they were given, but I didn't mind. It kept my mind mostly sane instead of succumbing to the Dementors," he told her.

"That's…." she paused trying to find the right word.

"Horrible, but great at the same time?" he supplied.

"Exactly," Hermione agreed. "Now as much as I would love to continue discussing books, we will never accomplish what we need to because I could go on forever. Let's practice the direct examination first."

"Alright. Tell me what you need me to do."

"One second," she said, running towards the kitchen. She grabbed the closest kitchen chair and dragged it back into the living room.

"Sit here," she commanded. Colin looked at her curiously but complied. For the next few hours or so, Hermione and Colin practiced and perfected direct examination. She believed it to be the easiest of the two, cross-examination more likely to rile up Colin and allow his temper to show. They were going to have to work at that if they wanted to prevent that from happening in front of the Wizengamot.

"Do you need a break or should we continue into cross-examination?" Hermione asked.

"Let's keep going. If I take a break, I'm less likely to want to continue later," he admitted but stood up to stretch before sitting back down in the chair.

"Understood. Now, do you remember what I told you about cross-examination?"

"Cross-examination is where the prosecution will try to prove their side of the case. I need to keep my cool, or it could ruin my credibility even further."

"Correct. Let's get started," Hermione said, summoning the correct paperwork to her fingertips. She glanced down quickly before getting into character. She was going to have to be gruff and intense for Colin to honestly feel how it would be when he was on the stand. If he didn't feel it was real enough, he might falter when the trial was happening. It could be detrimental to their case if he wasn't properly prepared.

They spent the rest of the afternoon practicing cross-examination, and it was taking a toll on both of them. They were both growing frustrated, unable to keep their cool.

"Can we stop now? Each question is further boiling my blood. I feel like I'm going to explode at any second."

Hermione looked at her watch. "We have been going at it for several hours. I'm getting a bit frustrated too. Why don't we take the rest of the night off and start back up again tomorrow?"

"Sounds wonderful," he said, almost sarcastically. Hermione watched as he stomped off toward the kitchen. He returned moments later with firewhiskey in his right hand, two tumblers in the other.

"I figured we could both use a pick-me-up," he said, setting the two tumblers on the coffee table, pouring two generous portions. "Cheers."

"Cheers," she responded, as she wasted no time in throwing it back. As her head came forward again, she saw that Colin was pouring himself another.

"Better fill mine up too," she said. This time, she took a seat on the couch and nursed the drink rather than swallowing it in one go. He lounged next to her, their knees slightly touching.

She laughed. "You know we probably shouldn't get drunk every night."

He lifted his eyebrow at her. "Why not?"

"Well…I should say it's because we need our brains functioning at full capacity, but to be honest, I just don't have enough hangover potion to last us."

He laughed. "Oh, cupcake. You're not as tightly wound as you lead people to believe."

She flashed him a wicked smile. Her sharp tongue and witty mind were just a few of her favorite attributes. She kept it professional in public and usually only those closest to her got to see that side of her.

"You're dangerous."

She nodded. "Just you wait and see."


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: I realized while writing this chapter that this story had a few timeline issues. I have fixed gone back and fixed those, but nothing major has changed. I hope you enjoy!_

* * *

Hermione's holiday was coming to an end, and they needed to be out of the cabin by the evening. The new year had begun, and the Wizengamot was seeing cases once more. Hermione and Colin had both decided that he would come home with her as he had nowhere to go. Once he was cleared of all charges, he would be able to live his life freely and reclaim his seized properties and belongings.

Hermione finished packing her backpack, everything in alphabetical order by the Death Eater's last name. During the two weeks, it had been helpful to have an extra hand helping her through the paperwork and files. It also helped to have someone who had spent so much time with the people she was trying to help. It was a massive weight off of her shoulders.

Colin walked into the room and joined her by the fireplace, dressed in everything that he owned.

"Ready?" she asked him, grabbing ahold of her overnight bag. Nodding, he picked up her backpack, and they stepped into the floo, off to pick a fight with the Wizengamot.

* * *

Hermione puttered around her kitchen, preparing breakfast. She wished she felt more rested after spending several weeks in the mountains, but seemed to be just as tired as when she left. Maybe even more so. It probably didn't help that last night was the first time she had to share her room since…well, since Hogwarts. She had transfigured one of living room chairs into another bed and placed it in the corner of her room. There was nowhere else for Colin to go and not that she minded, but she only had one bedroom.

She had spent the night tossing and turning, unable to sleep due to the other presence in the room. She had heard the covers to his bed rustle throughout the night as well, and assumed he had a restless night as well.

She reached into her fridge to grab the orange juice, and when she emerged, Colin had just walked into the kitchen.

Her breath hitched in her throat. Colin hadn't bothered to put on his shirt, and his pajama pants were once again hanging dangerously off of his hips. Her eyes roamed his body, unashamed. Looking back up to his face, he was grinning at her.

"Like what you see, cupcake?" he said, laughing as he sauntered closer to her.

Hermione bit her lip and nodded. Colin stopped in front of her and before she could drop the jug she was holding, he took it out of her hands and set it on the counter.

She put out her hand, resting it on his chest. Her brain was acting of her own accord, and she didn't know if her hand was there to encourage him or put a stop to his advances.

Colin moved even closer, his mouth hovering above her neck.

She took a step back. "This shouldn't happen." She moved across the kitchen, as far as she could away from him. She needed to gather her thoughts before she turned to face him again. He still hadn't said anything. She grabbed two glasses from the cupboard and turned to face him, only to see that he hadn't moved. Moving toward the island, still keeping her distance, she poured two glasses of orange juice.

"Here," she said, sliding the glass across the island toward him. He caught it right before it toppled over the edge. She watched him take a sip, squinting at the sourness. He wasn't a huge fan of orange juice, but she hadn't had a chance to go shopping since their return.

He sat down at the island and looked at her.

"What are your plans for today?" he asked.

She breathed a sigh of relief. Colin was just going to ignore what had just happened between them and that was more than okay with her. She gulped her orange juice before responding.

"I am going to go talk to Harry. As an auror, he knows a lot of defense lawyers."

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Are you going to tell him about me? That I'm here?"

She shook her head. "I am undecided. If I tell him, he won't be happy. Due to his position in the ministry, he could turn me in for harboring a fugitive. I know he wouldn't, but that puts him in a difficult position, and I don't want to do that to him." She stood there still contemplating her options. "I think I will just keep it vague so neither of us will suffer," she finally added.

He nodded at her response. "I think that is a good idea. You should probably shut your floo off. If it's turned on, whoever has access can show up unannounced, and they will see that I am here. I don't want to take that chance."

"Neither do I," she said, walking towards the living room. With one flick of her wand, she shut down all floo connection. If someone was trying to reach her and couldn't, she could claim her fireplace was under maintenance.

Hermione left him to his breakfast and raided her closet for something to wear. She had a big day ahead of her, so she wanted to look fierce, yet professional. She was on a mission and wanted the world to know. Well, everyone who mattered anyway. If Rita Skeeter got wind that she was championing ex-Death Eaters, she would be ripped apart in the press and threatened by those who wanted to stop her efforts.

Looking in the mirror, her hair was as wild as ever, but she didn't plan on trying to tame it into submission. She thought it made her look almost feral and when her emotions were running high, the magic cackled at the tips. It made her seem dangerous and powerful, which was precisely what she was going for.

Sporting high-waisted trousers, a sleeveless white blouse, and a black blazer. Hermione finished off the outfit with red high heels and silver hoop earrings. She went with the a natural look, but glossed up her lips with a long lasting lip color. Hermione had no idea how long this day was going to last. But one thing was for sure — she didn't need to worry about her lips looking chapped and broken.

Taking one last look in the mirror, she strutted out of her bedroom. Colin was now lounging on the couch, staring intently at the television. She laughed at the sight. He had just discovered the 'moving pictures device' and was amazed by its capabilities. Hermione was still convinced that he had no idea how it operated without magic. He had asked her countless times if she was sure the inventor was a muggle.

"What do you think?" she said, twirling on the spot. He turned his attention to her, and she watched as his mouth dropped.

"Scary," he said. She frowned. Not exactly the reaction she was looking for. Maybe he meant scary in a good way?

"Scary?" she questioned.

"Like scary good. Like you're about to go kick some ass."

She smiled. "Good. That is what I am going for."

"Definitely dangerous. Sexy. You're going to rip some hearts out today killer."

She blushed at his compliment. Now that was more than she was hoping for from him. The fact that he thought she was sexy warmed her heart, but more importantly ignited the fire that had been tempting to light in her lower belly since she met him three weeks prior.

She grabbed her bag from the floor and walked toward the door. "Well, I'm off. Try not to get in any trouble today," she called to Colin. It was pointless. He was once again immersed in the beauty of muggle technology and hadn't heard her. She laughed at herself. Maybe some of the Death Eaters so set on destroying muggles and muggle culture should have dived into muggle technology before throwing it out completely.

She stepped outside her door and to the alley nearby. She spun on the spot, her mind set on the ministry. Unfortunately, apparating to the ministry meant you had to stand in line for the loo and flush yourself down the toilet. Hermione found it disgusting even though no trace was left from the short journey. Regardless, it had only been one day, and she was already missing her floo access. She was going to have to reopen it and revoke her friends' access, allowing only her to exit and enter her flat.

Stepping officially into the ministry, she walked with a purpose. No one gave her a sideways glance. After all, it looked as though she should be there. The press would have a fit if they saw her, so she scurried quickly through the atrium, not stopping to talk to several familiar faces.

Making her way off the lift, she walked toward the Minister's office. Before everything else could fall into place, she needed to get Mulciber a court date in front of the Wizengamot. She walked in and stopped to speak with his secretary, Olivia. It wouldn't do her any good to claim war hero status and walk in. She wanted people to be on her side, especially Kingsley, as he was one of her closest friends and allies.

The secretary disappeared to the room behind her desk and returned with a very surprised Minister.

"Hermione, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Kingsley asked her, as he reached for her. He enveloped her in a hug. During the war, they had become the closest of friends, and she had missed him over the weeks she had been on holiday.

"It's urgent," she whispered in his ear, looking toward his secretary. She wanted to be out of earshot, no chance of anyone picking up on her plans.

They walked into his office, closing the door behind them. Hermione pulled out her wand, casting all the charms she knew to prevent eavesdropping.

Kingsley walked around to his side of the desk and gestured for Hermione to take a seat. "Now, tell me what this is all about—" Kingsley started, before Hermione cut him off.

"I need to get a court date with Wizengamot," she said, cutting right to the chase.

"That shouldn't be a problem. What do you need it for?" Kingsley asked her, looking as if he might know the answer.

"I can't tell you," Hermione admitted, biting her lip. She hated keeping things from Kingsley. They were good friends and typically confided in each other with everything. From experience, she knew that if she were to tell him what she was up to, it could go either one of two ways.

He would either side with her and allow her to champion for the rights of death eaters, and not be too terribly mad that she was housing one against the law. The other option was that his hands would be tied and he would have to turn Hermione in for breaking the law, despite doing it for a good cause. She couldn't take that chance. For now, he needed to be in the dark.

"Hermione," he said, putting his face in his hands. "You know you can tell me anything. Me being the Minister doesn't change the friendship between us."

"I know Kingsley, and I will always appreciate your friendship," she said, reaching out to grab his hand. "But I really can't tell you. I don't want to put you in a bad position. It's just best if you don't know right now. I'm sorry."

"I won't say that I understand, but I trust you, and if you think this is best, then we will go with it. What day are you looking at for the court date?"

"No specific day, but as soon as possible," she told Kingsley. "I need a court day as soon as you can get me one. Preferably after I take my N.E.W.T's in a week, but before I start at University next month."

"I'll speak with my secretary and schedule one and let you know via owl post," Kingsley told her, getting up from behind his desk.

"I need to keep this hushed up Kingsley. Can she be trusted to keep this quiet?"

"I trust her almost as much I trust you, Hermione. She won't say a word, I promise. If she does, she'll have to deal with me."

"Thanks, Kings," Hermione said, giving Kingsley a big hug. "Thank you for trusting me."

"I'll owl you with a date. Good luck Hermione," Kingsley said, showing Hermione out the door. "I expect I'll be seeing you again very soon."

Hermione nodded and walked out of the office, nodding at his secretary on the way. With one thing checked off her to-do list, she made her way to Harry's office to accomplish the next.

Before she could reach the office, she heard, "Hermione! What are you doing here?" Turning around she saw Harry running toward her. She hadn't seen him since before she left for her holiday.

"Harry!" she said, excitedly, launching herself into his arms. "It's so good to see you!"

"It's good to see you too Hermione," Harry replied. "When did you get back?"

"Yesterday," she replied shortly. "Can we go to your office? I have something that I want to discuss with you. A private space is preferable to out in the open like this."

"Sure, let's go," Harry said, leading the way to the office.

Once they made it to his office, Harry shut the door and raised his wand casting silencing wards.

"Let's sit over here," Harry said, pulling Hermione to the couch. "What is this about? Shouldn't you be studying for your N.E.W.T's that are in a week or so?"

"I should, but let's be honest with ourselves, Harry. I could have passed those exams years ago without studying. And I have already been accepted into a Britain's finest Magical University, so it's not like I need them anyways," she said shrugging.

"Too true," Harry said, laughing. "I remember you showing seventh years up when we were only second years."

She waved her hand, saying it was no big deal, eager to talk to him about her reasons for coming to see him. "I may have started my career within Magical Law Enforcement early... without anyone knowing," she said, hesitantly.

"What did you do?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing you need to worry about, at the moment anyway."

"Hermione…" Harry said, in what Hermione thought was his attempt at a threatening tone.

"Don't Hermione me. I promise it will all work out in the end. I came to you today for help looking for a defense lawyer. I can't tell you any more than that without risking your position in the ministry. You have to trust me. Please Harry," she begged.

"You don't need to beg," Harry said, smiling. "I would help you with anything. I just wanted to hear you beg me to help you."

"Harry!" she said, smacking him on the shoulder.

"Okay, okay," he said, putting his hands up in surrender. "So you're looking for a defense lawyer. Any preferences?"

"Someone that would be okay with me having a big part in the case, some freedom so to speak. It wouldn't hurt for that person to be someone I know and get along with. That will make everything easier. Of course, I need someone experienced. Other than that, I don't have a whole lot of preferences."

"Well, the person that comes to mind right away is Lee Jordan. He got his license to practice law right after the war and has gained a name for himself both in the magical and muggle world," Harry suggested.

"Really? I am surprised he went into law. I figured he would have gone into business with Fred and George or something similar at least."

"I think he does finance part of their joke shop and receives royalties, but I assume he just wanted something different after the war. Something where he could help people that needed it," Harry said, solemnly.

Hermione just nodded. The war had changed a lot of people, especially those who had lost loved ones. She didn't blame Lee for wanting a change of direction in life after the death of an extremely close friend. It was one of the reasons Hermione wished to become a member of the Magical Law Enforcement Department — to help people and to keep their world safe. It was one of the things on her long list of to-dos.

"Do you think if I reached out to him he would be willing to help?" Hermione asked. "I haven't seen him since the Battle of Hogwarts. Does he even remember me from school?"

Harry laughed. "If he doesn't remember you from school, he does now! There is a bloody statue of the 'Golden Trio' in the atrium," he said with air hand signs. "There is no way he doesn't know who you are."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "That statue is ridiculous. It needs to be taken down."

"I agree. But back on topic, I do think that Lee would help you if you reached out to him, but it all depends on what you are asking of him."

"Understood." Hermione nodded and stood up from the sofa. She gave Harry a hug and quick peck on the cheek before turning toward the door. As her hand touched the doorknob, Harry had one last piece of advice.

"Please be careful Hermione. If the wrong person figures out what you are doing, I don't want to have to throw my best friend in Azkaban for her supposed illegal activity."

"Don't worry, Harry. I have Kingsley on my side too. But to keep your worry at bay, I promise I will be careful," she promised. With one last smile at her friend, she walked out of his office, excited to head back to her flat and tell Colin what she accomplished.

* * *

When Hermione entered her flat, she didn't see Colin right away, so she made her way over the window where her owl, Clo awaited. She penned a quick letter to Lee Jordan and told Clo not to come back until she had a response. Quickly tying the message to the owl's leg, she watched as Clo flew up into the sky and out of sight.

Still seeing and hearing no sign of Colin, she went in search of him. Walking into her bedroom, she saw that he was laying in bed and had moved the television as well.

"You moved my TV?" she asked, surprised.

"Obviously," he said, smiling at her. "I wanted to lay in bed and watch the TV at the same time."

Hermione laughed. "I don't have a television in here for a reason, you know," she said, sitting on the edge of the bed. "I would lay in here all day and not get anything productive done. Plus, did you know it is bad to fall asleep watching a screen?"

He shrugged. "I'll take my chances. I haven't been around it all my life like you, so I should be okay for now. I have nothing to do; what do you expect?"

"I know. I know. I don't blame you. I would sit in here all day as well if I were confined to a small space. But enough about that. Don't you want to hear about my day?" Hermione asked, kicking off her shoes and propping herself up on her elbows.

"Of course," Colin said, holding up the remote to the mute the TV. "Did you kick some ass today?"

"I did," she said, smiling. "I talked to Kingsley first and then Harry. Kingsley is working his magic to get a court date. Nothing is set in stone yet, but he will be sending me an owl with a date. Since it's Kingsley, I am assuming he will get one as soon as possible."

"And Harry? Did you tell him everything?

"I did not. I thought it was better for him not to know anything. But he trusts me and recommended a defense lawyer for us."

"Who is it?" Colin immediately asked after Hermione finished her sentence. He was eager to find out who would be representing him.

"Lee Jordan," Hermione replied. At Colin's confused look, she explained who he was. "He was two classes above me at Hogwarts. At school, he was the jokester with Fred and George Weasley, but Harry has assured me he is good at his job and highly recommends him."

"So is he going to take my case? Did you talk to him?"

"I haven't talked to him yet, but I sent him an owl as soon as I returned home. I told Clo not to leave until she had a response. I am hoping that is tonight sometime. If Kingsley gets us a court date, we need Lee to be on board as soon as possible."

Colin nodded and leaned back against the headboard. He looked a little lost and Hermione wasn't sure what to do.

"Colin, are you okay?" she asked, crawling up to him and sitting cross-legged next to him. He didn't say anything and Hermione became more concerned.

She snapped her fingers in front of his face and said, "Colin," a little louder. He snapped out of whatever trance he had been in and shook his head.

"Sorry, cupcake. I am just worried about all of this. I don't think I will make it if I have to go back to Azakan. I honestly think I would rather die than go back to the godforsaken place."

"You won't go back there. I promise," Hermione said, placing her hands on his forearms and looking into his eyes. "I won't let it happen. I will get you somewhere safe if you are determined guilty."

"Really?" he rasped. Hermione nodded her head and did something she never thought she would. She leaned up to him on her knees and kissed him lightly on the lips. She pulled back and bit her lip. Hermione was still thinking about earlier that morning when she had firmly told him that nothing between them could happen.

"I'm sorry about this morning. I am under a lot of pressure as well and just a bit nervous. I could be in the cell next to yours if they find out that I am helping you," she said frowning. Spending her life in Azkaban was the last thing she wanted to do.

"I won't let them take you either cupcake," he whispered, pulling her in for another kiss. This time it wasn't just a peck on the lips, but one full of passion and want. He licked her lips begging for entrance, and she happily let him in. She found herself crawling on top of the wizard, returning his kisses, battling his tongue for control. Moments later they broke apart for air, and they smiled at each other.

"That was nice," Hermione said, biting her lip once more.

"Nice?" he exclaimed. "I'll show you nice." He pulled her off of him and trapped her body beneath his own. Before kissing her, he directed the conversation back to the consequences of their actions.

"What if I do go to Azkaban?"

"Then I will do everything in my power to get you out," she said. Colin smiled and supposedly was content with her response and went in for another kiss. They spent the rest of the day, laying in each other's arms, talking and getting to know each other. It had been all business back at the cabin, but now, she knew she was truly falling for the wizard laying next to her. She would be devastated if all their hard work went to waste and he spent the rest of his life in Azkaban. Well, if he did, she would probably end up there as well for harboring a fugitive.

Hours later, Clo returned lightly tapping on the window. Hermione jumped up and opened the window, allowing Clo to fly in. Clo dropped the letter and the ground and flew out of the bedroom, probably intent on resting after her back to back flights.

She grabbed the letter from the ground and hurriedly ripped it open. She read it once and then again, and then once more for good measure. Colin had jumped out of bed as well, grabbing onto her elbow.

"Hermione!" he said, shaking her elbow. "What does it say?"

She looked up and smiled at him. "He said he'd help us," she said, still in shock. She hadn't talked to Lee for quite some time, yet he was willing to help them.

"Really?"

She nodded. "Really."

Colin picked Hermione up and swung her around, gripping her in the tightest hug she had ever experienced. Maybe it was a little premature of them to be talking about failure and having side-by-side cells in Azkaban. The real fight had only just begun.

* * *

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	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: There is about one more chapter after this and a potential epilogue. Feel free to leave a review. I would love to hear from you. Enjoy xx_

* * *

The next morning Hermione opened her door to find Lee Jordan with his fist raised, about to knock on her door.

"Hermione," Lee said smiling, holding out his hand. She ignored his hand and instead enveloped him in a hug. He didn't respond right away obviously shocked at her forwardness. They had never been close in school and hadn't seen each other since the final battle. He finally returned the hug and Hermione ushered him into the flat.

Hermione noticed that Colin had quickly removed himself from the main living area, which was perfect. In the note she penned to Lee, she just mentioned she needed his help for a complicated case and had yet to give him details. Walking into the kitchen, she asked, "Would you like something to drink?"

"Just water please," he said taking a seat on the loveseat. "I have a feeling I will need my brain to be fully functioning knowing you," he said, smirking. When Hermione returned to his side, he had shrugged out of his heavy robes, leaving him in just black trousers and a white button down.

She set the water on the coffee table and leaned back into the loveseat.

"So, tell me what this is all about," he said.

"You're going to think I am a bit mad," she admitted. "This isn't something I could just go to anyone with. I talked to Harry, and he recommended you, but even he doesn't know the details."

"My kind of project," he said, rubbing his hands together. "Give me your worst."

"Okay, then. I'll just get out with it," Hermione said, taking a deep breath. "I am currently harboring a fugitive in my bedroom."

Lee looked at her in surprise and then walked over to the bedroom. He opened the door, peeked in, closed the door and made his way back to the loveseat.

"Who is that?" he asked.

"Colin Mulciber. An ex-Death Eater who is about to be wrongly imprisoned if he goes into the courtroom without a full proof case."

She looked up and smiled as Colin sauntered into the room and took a seat on the floor on the other side of the coffee table.

"Colin Mulciber," he said, introducing himself. He held out his hand, and Lee took it without hesitation.

"Both of you have some explaining to do. I am not above helping, but I need to know what exactly I am getting into."

Hermione laughed, relieved he hadn't just walked out after he found out what was going on.

"Of course. Colin," she said, looking at the man who she had spent the last few weeks with. "You tell it better than I do."

"Will do, Cupcake." Colin then launched into the same explanation he had given Hermione only weeks ago. He told Lee everything. From Voldemort murdering his parents and placing him under the Imperius curse to how he read muggle literature in Azkaban.

Once he finished, it looked like Lee's jaw had become unhinged from his mouth. "Would you like something stronger than water now?" Hermione asked.

He nodded. Hermione bounded off to the kitchen to grab some brandy for the three of them. She figured they wouldn't need glasses for the occasion instead opting to drink straight from the bottle.

"Here," she said, placing the bottle in his hands. He took a long gulp and sighed.

"Thanks, Hermione. I wasn't expecting to drink so early in the day, but I think this called for it."

He handed the bottle of brandy back to her, and she passed it to Colin, who just set it on the ground.

"Sorry for thrusting all of this onto you, Lee. I know it wasn't quite what you were expecting from me."

"Definitely not, but don't worry, I won't be backing out. I still want to help," Lee said, lifting his briefcase from the floor and setting it on the coffee table. He pulled out his wand, waved it and the briefcase opened. He pulled out several pieces of parchment and a ballpoint pen with his name engraved.

Hermione laughed. "I don't see too many of those anymore," she said.

"Tell me about it. When I went off to Hogwarts, the thoughts of using ink and a quill was neat at first, but a pen is so much more convenient."

"I agree, but let's stay off of that topic. I could go on and on about muggle alternatives that are better than the magical version," she said. Colin just looked dumbfounded and chose not to contribute to the conversation.

"What are some of the specifics of his situation you were hoping to mention?" he asked, the pen touching the parchment ready to scribble away.

"Well, the main thing is his testimony. We have already been practicing direct and cross-examination over the past few weeks," she said, pausing so Lee could write down what she was saying. Continuing, she said, "I also think another Death Eater would be helpful, especially one who was close to Colin."

"Which one?" Lee asked, not looking up.

Hermione opened her mouth to respond, but before she could spurt out a name, Colin answered for her. "Malcolm Avery," he said, quietly.

Lee looked up for a moment before scribbling the name down on the piece of parchment. He then set the pen down and leaned back with his hands behind his head. "As far as I know Malcolm Avery is in Azkaban for his crimes committed during the First and Second Wizarding Wars. Is he innocent as well?"

Colin just shook his head.

"Well, that makes things a bit more complicated doesn't it? We can always have him write down his testimony under oath, but that is not as effective as in person. I will have to petition to have him in attendance at the trial."

Hermione was concerned about Avery's attendance versus a written testimony. Her gut was telling her it wouldn't matter how he presented his side of the story; it would still be worth nothing coming out of the mouth of a convicted Death Eater.

"Will it be worth it? I mean, will it even help Colin's case to have Malcolm Avery's testimony. He is a convicted Death Eater after all."

"Kingsley will hear him out for sure, but he is only the chairman of the Wizengamot as the Minister of Magic. He has no say when the Wizengamot is deliberating. It could help or hurt. There is no way for us to know for sure," Lee told them.

"Well, I best be off," Lee said, getting off from the loveseat. He held out his hand and motioned to the bottle of brandy. Colin handed it over and Lee took another large swig. "I'm going to need this to get through today. Petitioning for prisoners to be released, even temporarily is a pain in the ass."

He grabbed his robes and draped them over his arm while simultaneously waving his wand to collect all of his things and lock them in his briefcase.

"I'll be owling you, Hermione, Colin." He nodded to both of them in farewell. As soon as he walked out, Hermione quickly shut the door and locked the deadbolt, sinking to the floor. Despite the stress she was feeling, she had a smile on her face.

Looking over at Colin, he was looking at her with one of his eyebrows raised. "Why do you have that goofy look on your face?" he asked when he noticed she was looking at him. "You look like a lunatic."

"You're an expert on those, aren't you?" she said, laughing. For a moment, she thought he would be upset with her comment, but he just roared with laughter. Eventually, they were both flat on the floor, chests up trying to catch their breath.

"I needed that laugh," Colin said, lifting his head to look at her.

She nodded and broke out into a huge grin. "So did I."

Hermione sat up and slowly got to her feet as Colin did the same. They both walked to the kitchen and Hermione got started on breakfast as Colin took a seat at the island.

She hummed quietly to herself, trying to distract her from the impending hardships they were about to face.

"What's the plan for today, Cupcake?" Colin said, interrupting her thoughts.

"Well, I suppose we just wait around until we hear back from Lee. There isn't much else we can do until then. Unless you want to practice direct or cross-examination again?"

He shook his head and said, "No. I am okay not going through that again. It was torture."

"Oh please," Hermione said, giving him a 'look.' "It wasn't that bad."

"You didn't have a stubborn, curly-haired witch yelling in your face about the crimes you committed," he said smiling at her. "I prefer not to be on the end of an argument with you again unless I have to."

She laughed. "I was just trying to prepare you for questioning during cross-examination."

"I know," he said, coming up behind her. He bent down and wrapped his arms around her waist and laid his head on her shoulder. "Thank you."

She smiled and blushed as he whispered into her ear. The close contact was making her feel warm, and she needed to stay focused. No distractions until after the trial was over. Kisses here and there were fine, but if they went further, they would probably be spending hours upon hours in her bedroom as new lovers usually do.

She turned to look at him, and he quickly pressed a kiss to her lips before pulling away. She whimpered a little at the loss of contact, and he laughed.

"Can't have you burning breakfast cupcake," he said, removing his hands from her body and making his way to the refrigerator. He pulled out the same orange juice from the day before and frowned, immediately putting it back into the fridge.

"I know one thing you can do today," he said, plopping down onto the island seat once more.

"Hmmm," Hermione hummed.

"Go to the grocers. I cannot drink any more of that orange juice. I need something else."

"How about we go to a muggle grocers? That way you can get out of the house for a little bit without fear of being recognized or turned in. We can go to one over by my parent's old house. There shouldn't be anyone over there."

"That sounds good," he said. "What are you making?"

"Well I had a ton of potatoes that were about to go bad and some peppers, so I have making fried potatoes and peppers for breakfast. It's a muggle thing, but I promise you'll like it."

Colin just sat in silence as Hermione finished making breakfast. She grabbed two plates and handed him one already filled. They quickly finished their meal and got ready for their day. Hermione transfigured some of her things into male muggle clothes for Colin wear for their adventure into Muggle London. Once they got past this trial and hopefully, won, she would take him out on a shopping spree for both muggle and magical clothing.

"Ready?" she asked him.

He nodded, and they walked out the door, headed toward Muggle London ready for an early afternoon at the grocers.

* * *

Hermione and Colin returned to the flat mid to late afternoon, laden down with bags and bags of groceries. Hermione had only wanted to get what they absolutely needed, but Colin had insisted that if he was going to be trapped in her flat for at least another week, he needed enough food to last him day after day, and have food for snacking and watching the television. She just rolled her eyes, and let him pick out what he wanted. The result—him complaining about how muggles needed to find something better to hold groceries. She was currently listening to him say how his circulation was being cut off from the handle of the paper bag.

As soon as they reached the kitchen, he almost tossed the groceries onto the island, and let out a huge sigh, rubbing his wrists.

Hermione just raised his eyebrow and dared him to continue with his complaints. He didn't but asked her in the nicest possible way if she could use her wand to put the groceries away.

She nodded and pulled out her wand, also not wanting to put the groceries away; it was her least favorite part. Just as with laundry, folding and putting away was the worst part.

She was about to head to the living room to look over some case specifics before dinner when she heard a tapping at the window. She turned around and saw Kingsley's tawny owl with a letter in his clutches.

Hermione shouted for Colin and ran over to the window, wasting no time in letting the creature into her flat. Colin skidded in after her.

"What is it?" he asked, watching her make quick work of the sealed envelope.

"It's from Kingsley," she said, her breath coming in short spurts from nervousness. She pulled out the letter and began to read out loud:

 _Hermione —_

 _I hope you are doing well since we met yesterday and aren't causing too much trouble with whatever you have up your sleeve. I have scheduled your court date for next Friday, January 9th at nine in the morning. It will be full Wizengamot hearing with Penelope Clearwater representing the Ministry. She's feisty and not afraid to get in your face. Be prepared. If you need anything, send an owl to me or my secretary — we'll get it taken care of. I'll be seeing you very soon._

 _Much Love,_

 _K. Shacklebolt_

"So we have eight days until the court date," Colin, surmised.

Hermione nodded. "It's perfect. I take my N.E. on Wednesday morning, so after that I can fully focus on the trial for the last two days."

"Has have you heard anything from Lee yet?" Colin asked her.

She just shook her head and looked at the watch on her left wrist. "I haven't but, I assume he will let us know what is happening. It might have taken all day to try and get Avery temporarily released. Like he said, they don't take those things lightly."

As if on cue, another owl flew through the open window, dropping a letter on the counter and immediately flying back through the window, not concerned with waiting for a response.

Hermione tossed Kingsley's letter to the side and once more, made quick work of the envelope seal.

"It's from Lee," Hermione shouted in glee.

"Well read it out loud!"

 _Hermione —_

 _I have good news, and I have bad news. So that this ends on a happy note, I will start with the bad. The Ministry will not allow me to remove Malcolm Avery from Azkaban for the trial. This is due to the lack of information they have on what or who the trial is for or about. This thankfully is all being kept under wraps. Now for the good news, they will allow the three of us into Azkaban to visit Avery and take his written testimony. Not wanting the other inmates to see that he has visitors, they will only allow us to go at midnight tonight. Colin will need to be disguised, but I think it will be helpful for them to speak. If I don't hear back from you, I will assume you are good with the plan, and I will meet you at the entrance of Azkaban tonight._

 _Best,_

 _L. M. Jordan_

Hermione handed the letter over to Colin so that if he chose, he could reread the letter. She watched as his eyes skated over the words so quickly, they almost appeared blurred.

He crumpled the letter in his hand and slammed his fist on the counter. "Damn!" he shouted. "How is this going to help us?"

"Everything will be okay. I have been thinking this might be for the better."

"What? How can you think that? A piece of paper that has his testimony on it rather than him physically being there and showing emotion?"

"Well, with the written testimony, Lee can convince the Wizengamot to think certain things about Avery. If they don't see him, they don't actually know what he is like, and Lee can paint a picture to put him in a better light and therefore, more credible."

Colin didn't say anything, but just kept his head down, seemingly staring at his fist. With lack of argument from him, Hermione continued.

"And, not to mention, we would have less than twenty-four hours to train him for direct and cross-examination. If he's anything like you — we would have lost the case with his testimony alone."

Colin still didn't say anything, frozen to the spot. Hermione carefully took a step toward him and placed her hands on his bicep, leaning into him.

"Colin, please say something," she begged.

"I don't know what to say," he said, letting go of the crumpled paper and wrapping his arms around Hermione. "You're right, of course."

"Everything will be okay," she whispered, praying to Merlin that she could fulfill her promise of keeping him safe. If not, she would keep another promise and find herself in a cell right next to him.

* * *

The hours past slowly until midnight, Hermione found herself looking at her watch more often than not. She was anxious to speak with Avery about his time as a Death Eater and his friendship with Colin.

Finally, it was ten till midnight and Hermione cast a glamour charm over Colin. She lengthened his hair and changed the color to blonde and completely vanishing his facial hair. She had transfigured more of her clothes, but this time into wizard robes knowing the Azkaban guards would sneer at them, hindering the process if they were in muggle clothing. They both dressed in black robes as to not draw attention to themselves, especially when they were supposed to be avoiding other inmates.

Hermione grabbed Colin's arm and spun on the spot, apparating them to the entrance of Azkaban. There Lee was waiting for them, almost shivering from the coldness. Thankfully, it was just that. After the war, Kingsley had made an executive order to get rid of the Dementors. He sent them off to uninhabited land to feed off of nothing and eventually die out. She shivered thinking about all of those Dementors in one place. Horrifying.

As soon as Lee saw them, they headed inside to check in.

"Jordan, Granger, and Flitney here to check in," Lee said, not hesitating on coming up with a name for Colin.

"Right this way," the guard said, leading the way.

"Flitney," Hermione whispered. "How did you come up with that?"

"Quidditch player for England not too long ago," Lee smirked. "They won't think twice about it." Before Hermione could compliment him on his quick thinking, they arrived at the part of Azkaban where the interrogation rooms were. Hermione was thankful that they hadn't yet come across the holding cells. She didn't care to see the other souls stuck in this horrid place — she would want to champion for all of them.

"You have thirty minutes, no longer," the same guard told them ushering them into the room and closing the door behind them.

Hermione focused her attention on the man in front of him. Avery was chained to the desk by his hands and feet, looking like he was asleep with his head face down on the table.

"Avery," Colin said, walking over the man and squatting next to the chair. Avery looked up and frowned at the man next to him. "It's me, Colin. I am under several glamours from being recognized."

Avery smiled and reached out to Colin, stretching the chains as far as they would go. Hermione had to keep herself from grimacing — Azkaban hadn't been kind to the man. He was missing several teeth and to be honest; he looked like he was losing his mind a bit despite the absence of dementors.

Hermione watched as the two men embraced, awkwardly due to the restrains on Avery, but it was heartwarming — she could tell these two men cared for one another very much. Once they broke apart, Colin introduced her and Lee.

"This is Lee Jordan, my attorney, and Hermione Granger, the witch who has been helping get my named cleared of all charges."

"Where was she when I needed her," Avery grumbled, with a smile.

"Ahh, come on Avery. We both know you are guilty of the crimes you committed. As much as I don't want you to be in here, justice must be served."

The man nodded and waved his hand, obviously not wanting to talk about his imprisonment.

"What do you need from me?" Avery asked, tapping his fingers on the table.

Lee spoke up. "We just need a statement from you about Colin and his time as a Death Eater. We only have half an hour…" Lee paused and pulled out his wand. "So we must be quick."

"My wand has a recording feature built in to make this as quick as possible. It will be transcribed once I return to the Ministry. But first we need you to take a Wizarding Oath and swear on your magic that what you tell us is true. Do you understand?"

Avery nodded in understanding. Lee spoke again. "Do you have any questions?"

"No," he said, simply.

"Okay, let us begin, then," Lee said, taking a seat across from Avery and holding out his arm. Avery grabbed Lee's forearm.

"Hermione, if you will," Lee said, gesturing to their arms. Hermione pulled out her wand and pointed it at their joined arms.

"Do you Malcolm Avery, swear on your magic to tell the whole truth and respond to the questions asked to the best of your ability?" Hermione asked.

"I do so swear on my magic," Avery promised, as a swirl from Hermione's wand encompassed the men's hands.

"Do you, Lee Jordan swear on your magic that you will not coerce Malcolm Avery into answering questions in ways that benefit you and to transcribe he answers word for word?"

"I do so swear on my magic," Lee said. Another swirl from Hermione's wand encompassed the men's hands before completely disappearing. Lee immediately let go of Avery's forearm and pulled out a piece of parchment. Looking over his shoulder, Hermione saw that it was a list of questions. Looking down at her watch; she was skeptical — it was going to be damn near impossible to get all their questions answered in this short time frame. She prayed to Merlin the guard was distracted and let them be.

Hermione almost zoned out while Lee zipped through the questions. She stood right behind Lee while Colin paced, not listening to the questions or the answers, but instead watching Avery's body language. Sometimes what your words didn't say — your body did. She made sure make mental notes of everything and compile them into a section of her brain, wanting to share her findings with Lee and Colin later on if needed.

What seemed like minutes later, they heard a knock at the door and the guard yelled, "Times up!" Hermione looked at her watch once more and smirked. He had given them forty-five minutes. Standing from his chair, Lee said, "We got all we came here for. Thank you." He held out his hand for Avery to shake. Colin then walked and hugged Avery — a long one. If the guard thought that was odd, he didn't say so.

Hermione smiled when she heard the raspy voice of Avery ask, "That you're girl?"

"I hope she will be," she heard Colin admit. By that point, she was full on grinning, but hid it behind her hand until she could pull herself together.

Walking over to Colin, she placed her left hand on his back and held out her right hand out to Avery. "Nice to meet you, Mister Avery."

"You better be treating my man Colin here, like a King," Avery told her. His tone was quite threatening, and Hermione couldn't tell if he was joking or being completely serious. She decided just to respond with a nod and grabbed Colin's hand to walk out the door before the guard started getting irritated with them.

They walked back out to the entrance, said their farewells to Lee with promises to touch base later in the day and apparated back to Hermione's flat.

As soon as they arrived, Colin collapsed onto the sofa and Hermione lifted the glamours on him before joining him moments later.

"Are you okay?" she asked, concerned with his well-being after seeing his friend in Azkaban.

"Surprisingly, I am okay," he admitted. "I don't like seeing him like that, but like I said, justice needs to be served and I know he wasn't under any curse while serving the Dark Lord — he committed every crime on his own accord."

Hermione just nodded and laid her head on his shoulder and grabbed his hand, entwining his fingers with hers.

* * *

 _I recently started a group celebrating the pairing of Harry x Hermione called Harmony & Co. (18+). If you're interested, head on over! _


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: A 7k monster chapter for you all. It is extremely dialogue heavy as we are entering into the trial part of this story! Again, I don't pretend to be an expert in law, and I have mixed both magical and muggle aspects of law and put my own twist on it. This is the last chapter before a short epilogue. Hope you enjoy!_

* * *

Six days later, Hermione walked out of the Department of Education: Hogwarts. She couldn't help the cheesy smile plastered across her face, knowing she had just more than passed all of her N.E.W.T's securing her place at University.

Not wanting to go back to her flat quite yet, she stopped into the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to visit Lee and check in to see how everything was going in preparation for the trial. It was two days away, and the nerves were starting to set in. Hermione was nervous about the outcome, and so was Colin. It was part of the reason she was reluctant to return to her flat so quickly. He was on edge, verbally lashing out over the most insignificant things. Like how orange juice was still in the fridge even though he hated it. It was getting ridiculous, to say the least. She just couldn't wait for it all to be over and hopefully end in their favor.

She knocked on Lee's office door, and she heard a short and annoyed voice say, "Not now. I'm busy. Leave a message with my secretary."

Hermione frowned. She wanted to talk to Lee, but she wasn't sure if she could bear another man being on edge. Deciding she would just speak to Lee later, she turned and walked away, planning on going to visit Harry instead. She got halfway to the door when she heard a whispered, "Hermione." She turned around to see Lee's head poking out from around his door, waving her to him.

She hurriedly made her way into his office, and he shut the door immediately behind her. "What's going on?" she whispered.

"Rita Skeeter has been roaming around trying to figure out what I am working on. Apparently, it has gotten around that I have been working on something in secret, not letting any of the other lawyers in on what I am doing."

"Ugh," Hermione groaned, collapsing in the chair directly in front of Lee's desk. "That woman has had it out for me since fourth year."

"I remember," Lee smirked before turning serious again. "Except there is a lot more at stake this time than your relationships with Viktor Krum and Harry Potter."

"I know. I wonder if she knows that I am involved. I wouldn't put it past her. It could be why she is sniffing around for a story."

"It could be, but I am not sure how she would have found out. We have been extremely careful, unless she bribed the guards of Azkaban to give her information. I doubt it though. She could be in a lot of trouble for that as we were approved by the department to be there," Lee said, rubbing his eyes in exhaustion.

"She has never cared about crossing boundaries and breaking the law. Trust me."

Lee just shook his head in frustration. "Regardless, we will need to be extremely careful these next few days. I will be taking all of my documents from here and working from home until I am needed here Friday morning. I suggest you keep a low profile as well. Skeeter can get her information on the day of the trial and not a moment sooner."

Hermione nodded her head and stood up. "Well, I should be going. I just wanted to check in to see how everything was coming together for the trial."

Lee smiled. "Everything is great Hermione. I am just touching up my opening and closing statements. Otherwise, everything is ready to for Friday. No need to worry," he assured her and enveloped her in a hug. Hermione was surprised by the action but immediately relaxed in his embrace. She just let all of the negative feelings and stress evaporate from her body, and she sighed.

"Feel better?" Lee asked, pulling away from her.

Hermione nodded. "Colin is on edge, and I'm avoiding going back to the flat. I am in a pretty good mood after just passing my tests, but just being happy is no defense against his sour mood," she admitted.

"I understand," Lee said, opening the door to his office. "Help him calm down why don't you." Lee winked at her and then waved her off. It took Hermione a second, but then she blushed bright red realizing that Lee had basically just told her to have sex with Colin. She just kept walking, refusing to show Lee that she was embarrassed by his comment.

Hermione wasn't entirely sure why she felt embarrassed. She was an adult and consenting to sex with another human was perfectly natural. Perhaps it was because they actually hadn't participated in the act yet, though coming extremely close many times. It wasn't that she didn't want to because she did.

Pressing the button to the lift, Hermione pushed her thoughts of ravishing Colin out of her mind. She really wanted to wait until the trial was over. It was no use becoming distracted or getting too attached with the possibility of sitting in Azkaban for the rest of their lives looming over their heads.

Once she made it to the entrance of the Ministry, she apparated back to her flat prepared for the disaster that was currently Colin.

"Colin?" she called out carefully. She didn't hear anything, so she made her way to the bedroom to change out of her clothes. She had dressed for success, but now she really wanted to be in a cozy pair of sweatpants and a ratty t-shirt. She walked over to her wardrobe and slowing began undressing, unbuttoning her blouse, throwing the offending garment to the floor. She had just reached behind her to unhook her bra, went she heard a choking sound behind her. Her fingers had already unlatched the bra, and she turned around quickly, holding it to her chest in an attempt to cover her breasts.

"Colin, hi," she said, her face burning with embarrassment. "I didn't see you there."

"Because I just came out of the shower," Colin gestured to his towel in defense. "I didn't hear you come in."

"Oh," she said biting her lip. "I'll just grab my clothes and change in the bathroom." She hurriedly grabbed her clothes, simultaneously holding her bra to her chest. She ran over to the bathroom when she felt a hand grasp her upper arm.

Colin pulled her close and pushed her chin up to look at him. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips. Wanting to wrap her arms around his neck, she unconsciously dropped her bra exposing her breasts. Not realizing what she had done until she felt her nipples against his skin and he groaned.

She broke the kiss and attempted to grab her clothes from the floor, trying to cover herself up.

"Hey, what is the rush to cover yourself up?" Colin asked her, frowning. "I hope you know that you don't need to be embarrassed in front of me, cupcake." He cupped her face in his hands and placed another kiss on her lips.

"It's not that," Hermione admitted, pulling away from him. "I just have been thinking that we should wait. Maybe we can celebrate if we win the trial."

"And since you're so fond of the word _if_ , what if we lose? I don't want to go to Azkaban never having you Hermione."

"I'll be there right next you, you know. And I'd rather go to Azkaban not having you instead of having you and then spending a lifetime in prison not being able to touch you."

Colin nodded. "I understand. Just know cupcake. I want you...bad."

Hermione blushed. "The feeling is mutual. We could spend the night cuddling and making out like teenagers?" she suggested with a laugh.

Colin laughed with her. "Witch. You're just trying to give me blue balls. But I suppose we could do that. Go get dressed, cupcake," he said, pushing her toward the bathroom.

"Yes, sir," she said, saluting him before walking away to change into her clothes. In the bathroom, she quickly threw the shirt over her head and pulled on the too big sweatpants. She kept her hair down despite the temptation to throw it into a bun at the top of her head.

She mozied her way back into the bedroom and found Colin lounging on the bed, watching the television.

"Do you ever do anything besides watching the tele?" Hermione asked.

He laughed. "No, not really." He patted the bed next to him, and she ran and jumped onto it, landing right next to him.

Cuddling right up next to him, she laid her head on his shoulder and took a deep breath.

"You alright?" Colin asked.

"Perfect," she replied, smiling up at him.

* * *

Two days later, they walked into the lowest courtroom and smiled as shocked faces and gasps filled the air. Rita Skeeter talking frantically as her quick quotes quill ran across the parchment, undoubtedly coming up with some unbelievable story that the public would just eat up as the truth. Looking to her right, Colin looked as though he might be sick. She gave his hand a quick squeeze as he walked to the chair in the middle, designated for prisoners. As soon as he sat down and placed his arms on the cement armrests, the chains slinked up his arms locking him into place.

Looking up at Kingsley, his face was as stoic as ever. If he was surprised by who entered the courtroom, he didn't show it. But he clearly knew who the defendant was. Looking at Penelope Clearwater, her face had twisted into a scowl that was unbecoming on her round face. Hermione had been on good terms with the girl during their time at Hogwarts together, but she didn't doubt her abilities to be ruthless. Hermione took her seat in the audience with Harry, behind Colin as Lee took his place on the floor.

"You were hiding a Death Eater, Hermione. Seriously?" Harry whispered.

"Shhh!" she told him. "I could be sentenced to Azkaban for that. Keep your voice down unless you want someone to hear you."

Harry just shook his head in exasperation but did as she said. They refocused their attention to Kingsley, waiting for him to get the trial started.

"Good morning ladies and Gentlemen. I am calling the case of the Ministry of Magic versus Colin Mulciber to order. Are both sides ready?"

"Ready for the Ministry, Minister," Penelope called.

"Ready for the defense, Minister," Lee replied.

"Colin Mulciber, you are here to answer for your crimes committed during the Second Wizarding War. Is that correct?" Kingsley Shacklebolt boomed, wasting no time getting started. She couldn't blame him. She wanted this over today.

"Yes, sir," Colin replied.

"Very well. Let's begin. Miss Clearwater, the floor is yours," Kingsley said, gesturing to the woman.

"Minister and ladies and gentlemen of the Wizengamot. My name is Penelope Clearwater, and I am representing the Ministry in this case. We intend to prove that Colin Mulciber, the defendant, is guilty of all crimes committed during the Second Wizarding War. This includes but is not limited to: serving in You-Know-Who's ranks as a loyal follower, committing crimes such as the use of all three unforgivable curses and the murders and torture of various magical and muggle persons," Penelope started.

She took a deep breath and continued. "The evidence presented today will show these crimes dating back to 1995 during the mass breakout of Azkaban, where the defendant was released. The questioning of the defendant today will prove to you that the defendant is guilty as charged."

Penelope then stepped to the side, finishing her opening statement. Lee didn't stay in one spot as Penelope had but instead chose to walk around the courtroom, addressing each member of the Wizengamot including Kingsley with his eyes, using his hands to talk.

"Minister and ladies gentlemen of the Wizengamot. A trial has not always been done this way, which is unfortunate, but my client is presumed innocent until proven guilty. During this trial, you will hear no real evidence against my client. But you will come to know the truth: that Colin was performing his duties under an unforgivable curse — the Imperius," Lee said, with a smile.

Hermione smiled as she heard several shocked gasps around the courtroom. She knew that was definitely not what they were expecting to hear.

"After breaking free from the curse, Colin ran, afraid he would be treated as he was during the first Wizarding War — poorly and without a trial. Therefore, my client is not guilty and the evidence presented today will prove as much."

Hermione wanted to cheer for Lee's opening statement, but she kept it to herself. Instead, she found Harry's hand and squeezed it tight. He just smiled at her and kept ahold of her hand. She was grateful for the support.

"Prosecution, you may call your first witness."

Hermione laughed. She doubted they had a witness for this. Who could it possibly be?

"Minister. The prosecution has no witnesses. We would just like to question the accused," Penelope said. Hermione thought she heard the woman's voice waver a bit.

Kingsley's eyebrow raised in surprise. "Very well. Do you rest your case?"

"Yes, Minister. The Ministry rests their case."

Hermione's eyebrows couldn't have shot any further into her hair. She had never seen where the prosecution had no witnesses or evidence for their case to present immediately and was solely relying on the cross-examination of the defendant.

"You do realize it is highly unusual for the prosecution not present any evidence or witnesses before the defense for a case right, Miss Clearwater?"

"I am aware, Minister. Still, the Ministry rests their case."

"Very well then. Mister Jordan, is the defense ready with its case?" Kingsley said, looking at Lee.

"Yes Minister," Lee said without hesitation.

He then walked over to Colin, who was still strapped down to the chair in the middle of the courtroom. Lee gave him a small smile of encouragement and began his questioning.

"Give your first and last name to the members of the Wizengamot," Lee started, flipping through his notes.

"Colin Mulciber."

"Thank you. Now, Colin. Let's start with telling the Jury about your home life and how you grew up."

Hermione saw the top of Colin's head move, and she assumed he was nodding. "I had a nice and comfortable childhood. Being from a wealthy pureblood family, I didn't want for anything. I was happy."

"And what about your parents? Did they support what You-Know-Who was trying to do?"

"No, they didn't. They were blood purists; I won't deny that, but they didn't believe in ridding the world completely of muggleborns. They were in the middle, not voicing their support for either side."

"What happened to them?" Lee asked softly. Hermione knew this a tough subject for Colin, and she prayed to Merlin that he could deliver the story smoothly and with some emotion.

"The Dark Lord wasn't very pleased that my family refused to choose a side. He, of course, wanted them to declare their loyalty to him and support his pursuits," Colin replied and took a deep breath before continuing.

"He murdered them," he said, his voice breaking. Hermione wanted to run to his side and hold his hand through this...but she couldn't. He needed to get through this on his own. "He and his followers showed up at our home and murdered them."

"I'm sorry that happened," Lee sympathized. "What happened next?"

"Before he killed them, he told them he would spare their lives if they pledged their allegiance to him and sacrificed me for the cause. He wanted me to become a Death Eater. They refused."

"What do you remember happening next?"

"After they died, the Dark Lord forced me to join his ranks anyway. I was placed underneath the Imperius curse for almost my entire service to him."

"What do you mean by almost?"

"The only time I wasn't underneath the curse was when he vanished during the first Wizarding War. After he returned, I went to him knowing I would be killed if I didn't, and he placed me underneath the curse one again. During the final battle when Potter killed him, I felt the curse lift for good," Colin explained.

"Thank you. Now, let's go back in time and tell the Wizengamot your time at Hogwarts. Who were your friends? What were you like?"

"I didn't have a lot of friends, but I was especially close to Malcolm Avery, whom I met on the Hogwarts Express on my way to Hogwarts for the first time. As for my time at Hogwarts, I did well in all my classes."

"Very good. Tell me about your friend Avery," Lee said, picking up the pace of the questions.

Colin shrugged. "He was your typical Death Eater. During school, he fell deeper and deeper into the Dark Arts each year and was drawn to the dark side, as most Slytherins were during the first war. When given the chance, he joined the Dark Lord without hesitation."

"How did that make you feel?"

"I was upset, but it was unsurprising. It put a little rift in our friendship, but he was always loyal to me and always looked out for me. Our friendship couldn't be completely ruined because of bad choices."

Lee then pulled away from where Colin was sitting and turned to the Wizengamot. He summoned a piece of parchment from his briefcase and levitated it to Kingsley.

"I have a deposition, Minister, from Malcolm Avery."

Once the deposition reached Kingsley's fingers, he then duplicated the deposition several hundred times and gave each member of the Wizengamot a copy, including Penelope. He then returned the original to Lee.

"Like I said, in front of you is the deposition from Malcolm Avery. Please read over it," Lee told the Wizengamot. There were several moments of silence allowing everyone to read it over.

"Is there a reason Malcolm Avery submitted a deposition rather than testifying in person today?" Kingsley asked, looking up from the piece of parchment.

"Yes, Minister. I was unable to secure a permit to allow Avery to leave Azkaban for this trial," Lee told Kingsley.

"Understood," Kingsley said, nodding. "Do any members of the Wizengamot have any questions?"

Hermione looked around, and most members were shaking their heads, and no hands jumped into the air.

"Very well, Mister Jordan you may continue."

"Thank you, Minister," Lee said, turning back to Colin. "Colin, how's your memory right now?"

"I find that my memory is well at this exact moment, but unfortunately it hasn't always been that way."

"Could you explain what you mean by that?"

"My memory from when I was under the Imperius curse is blurry. I don't remember anything from that time, but as soon as it was lifted, my memory returned to normal."

"Can you give me an example?"

"Sure. I was fully aware during my trial after the first Wizarding War, but when they read off the crimes I was accused of, I was not aware I had committed any of those things. I couldn't remember. To be honest, I was horrified with myself," Colin said, shaking his head.

"It is assumed that you were apart of the team that tortured Frank and Alice Longbottom. Tell me about that."

"As far as I know, that torture took place after the Dark Lord disappeared and my curse was lifted. I had no part of that."

Lee turned toward the Minister and summoned a small vial to his hands, glowing strands floating inside.

"Minister, I would like to enter into evidence this memory," Lee said with a smirk, levitating it into the Minister's hands.

"And who's memory might this be?" Kingsley asked as he grasped the small vial. He looked at it curiously before turning his gaze back on Lee. Hermione held her breathe — Lee hadn't informed her of the memory; it was something he must have done entirely on his own.

"Rodolphus Lestrange."

Hermione gasped along with several others, including Penelope Clearwater. It was common knowledge that the Lestrange Brothers and Bellatrix tortured the Longbottoms into insanity many years ago, but Rodolphus had never publicly admitted to the crime — Bellatrix threw them all under the bus, proudly claiming her loyalty to Voldemort.

"Very well," Kingsley commented, eyes roaming the courtroom. "The Wizengamot will take a break for one hour to review this memory and for lunch." Looking at Harry he said, "Auror Potter, if you could release the chains on the prisoner and keep watch during this hour? Do not leave this room."

"Yes, Minister."

Kingsley banged his gavel, his booming voice echoing throughout the courtroom, "Court will resume in one hour at one o'clock."

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief and followed Harry down to the middle of the courtroom where Colin was restrained. Lee joined them as Harry nonverbally removed the chains.

Hermione could see that Colin was visibly shaken and he brought his hands in toward himself as soon as the chains were removed. She quickly grasped his hand, and gently rubbed circles on it in what she hoped was a soothing motion.

He looked up at her and smiled and squeezed her hand in response. Then Hermione looked away from Colin and turned her attention to Lee.

"You kept some things to yourself, Lee. Tsk, tsk," Hermione said, smiling.

"Couldn't give away all my secrets now, could I?"

"I suppose not. What exactly did the memory entail?" Hermione asked.

"When I requested access to speak with Avery at Azkaban, I also requested to speak with Rodolphus Lestrange. The memory is him admitting that Colin was never there. It was Barty Crouch Junior instead."

"I knew that," Harry said, quietly. "I fell into a pensieve once, and Karkaroff outed him during his trial to Barty Crouch Senior. I didn't think anything of it."

"Just shows unfair it was back then," Colin said, grimacing. "The idea of a fair trial didn't exist. They just took Bellatrix's word that I was there and that was it — done."

"Actually, I meant to ask you about that. How did they catch you after you were no longer underneath the Imperius curse? What were you doing?"

"I remember all of a sudden feeling a weight lifted off. I was extremely confused — my memories blurry and I remembered nothing; just like I said. I was at home, so I just stayed there trying to sift through what was missing. One day, Aurors came calling and dragged me away. I spent the next decade and a half in Azkaban."

Lee just nodded as if he had talked about this with Colin prior to the trial; Hermione wouldn't be surprised if he had.

"So lunch?" Harry asked, interjecting into the conversation before it could continue. Hermione jumped when he spoke — she had almost forgotten he was there.

"How will we get lunch?" Hermione asked. "Colin can't leave."

Harry smiled and called, "Kreacher." The old house-elf appeared immediately.

"Master," Kreacher said, bowing. "What can Kreacher get for you?" Hermione giggled at the formality. He had become much more pleasant since they had found refuge at Twelve Grimmauld Place after Bill and Fleur's wedding.

"Kreacher, please call me Harry. We've been over this," Harry told the elf.

"Yes, Master. What can Kreacher get for Harry and his friends?"

"Could you quickly grab something from the Ministry cafeteria for us for lunch? We aren't allowed to leave this room."

"Oh, Kreacher will do better than that Master! I will cook something very quickly," the elf said and disappeared a moment later.

No less than five minutes later, Kreacher reappeared laden down with soup and bread for more than the four people present. They all thanked the elf and dug into the food. The foursome kept conversation light during lunch, trying to keep their minds off of the trial and what the Wizengamot was already debating. They finished their lunch right as members of the Wizengamot started to trickle back in.

Colin resumed his seat and placed his arms on the stone sides, chains once again holding him into place. Hermione gave him a quick squeeze of the hand and followed Harry back to their seats to finish watching the rest of the trial.

Hermione's stomach was rolling — she seemed to be more nervous now than before, or perhaps it was because her stomach was now full, threatening to spill out.

She grasped Harry's hand, needing the comfort and strength. He didn't question it — which she was thankful for.

"Court is now back in session," Kingsley said, taking his seat. "Mister Jordan, the Wizengamot has viewed the vial containing Rodolphus Lestrange's vial and has accepted it into evidence."

"Thank you, Minister," Lee replied, just as Penelope Clearwater huffed and had an obvious problem with the decision.

"But Minister. It is a law that all parties must be aware of all evidence presented and accepted by the Wizengamot. As I am representing the Ministry, I need to know what that memory entailed," Penelope argued.

"Miss Clearwater, that outburst was unnecessary. You will do well to hold yourself to a higher standard," Kingsley said, not once raising his voice, but his tone clear.

Penelope turned as red as a tomato and whispered, "Yes, Minister."

"But you are right. You are entitled to know what the memory contained. Mister Jordan, if you would please inform Miss Clearwater and the rest of the present civilians what memory was inside this vial," Kingsley said, holding up the vial.

"Absolutely Minister," Lee replied, showing off his dazzling smile. "Miss Clearwater, the memory was short, but it was a memory of Rodolphus Lestrange admitting that Colin Mulciber was not present during the torture of Frank and Alice Longbottom."

Penelope nodded her head, her face finally returning to a normal color. "Thank you."

"My pleasure," Lee told her, turning back to Kingsley.

"Do you have any more questions for the accused?" Kingsley asked Lee.

"Yes, sir. Just a few more."

"Very well, continue."

Lee turned directly to Colin and began the questioning immediately. Hermione couldn't blame him — the trial had already lasted most of the morning and was threatening to continue for days. It was something Hermione didn't want to happen. She just wanted this whole thing to be over despite the possibility of a loss.

"I know we touched on this, but why did you return to Voldemort once he returned?"

"I was scared. I had heard about those who had followed him running and being tortured and killed. I didn't want the same fate, especially since I wasn't guilty."

"What happened once you returned?"

"I felt a weight lifted off my shoulders. I realize now that it was the Imperius curse taking control of me allowing me not to worry about anything."

"You never spoke to Voldemort before he put you underneath the Imperius curse?" Lee asked.

Colin shook his head. "No. I apparated to where I was told he could be found and before I could open my mouth, I was back under."

"Why do you think he kept you under the Imperius curse the second time?""

"I don't pretend to know what he was thinking, but I assume he thought I would be just as difficult this time as I was the last. He wasn't willing to take the chance that I would cause problems, so it was just easier to keep me under his control," Colin replied.

Lee nodded. "Thank you, Colin." Turning to the Minister, he said, "No further questions, Minister."

"Very well. Miss Clearwater, the witness is yours," Kingsley said, gesturing toward Colin.

"Thank you, Minister," Penelope said, in a cool, calm and collected voice. Hermione had to stifle a giggle — she had obviously recovered from her earlier stumble and ready to bat.

Penelope's heels clicked across the stone floor as she shimmied her way over to Colin in the middle of the courtroom.

"Mister Mulciber, let's get right down to business. I only have a few questions to ask you. Hopefully, they won't be too daunting for you," she said with a sly smile, looking up to Hermione. Hermione gulped. She was nervous. It seemed Penelope knew something and she was about to expose them all.

"Why did you run after the end of the Second Wizarding War if you knew you were innocent?" Penelope asked. "Why not come and try to explain yourself?"

"I just assumed that I would be given an unfair trial just like after the First Wizarding War whether I was innocent or not. I wasn't willing to take that chance. I knew if I just came waltzing into the Ministry my fate would be Azkaban, or worse—death."

"What have you been doing since the war ended last May?"

"Keeping low, staying out of sight. I went into the mountains about a month or so ago to hide out," Colin admitted. "I didn't have a plan of what to do."

"How well do you know Hermione Granger?"

Hermione tried to protest, but Harry quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her back into her seat. "Not now, Hermione," Harry whispered hurriedly. "Keep quiet for now. Let this play out on its own."

Hermione gritted her teeth and squeezed Harry's hand in response. This could be her end. Colin would have to tell the truth, and it could condemn the both of them. Something she had prepared for but wasn't necessarily ready for it to happen. She couldn't spend the rest of her life locked up in Azkaban — she couldn't!

"I would say I know her pretty well. I have only known her a few weeks," Colin told Penelope.

"Oh? And how did you two meet?"

"Well, I am assuming we met across the battlefield at one point or another. But I had heard she was going on vacation to the mountains, so I followed."

"How did you find her?" Penelope asked. Hermione held her breathe. Penelope was firing off questions one after another, hoping catch Colin on a lie. They had practiced for this; she only hoped that he would keep his temper in check.

"I had eavesdropped when she was talking to one of her friends. Potter, I think it was. I got to the cabin she was staying at days before her, stocked it full and waited."

"And what happened once she found you in the cabin that was supposed to be empty, ready for her immediate arrival?"

Colin couldn't help but laugh and Hermione tried not to giggle as well reminiscing about the first time they met.

"She turned her wand on me, and I immediately surrendered. In fact, I hadn't even brought my wand into the room when I heard her downstairs."

"Why did you go after her to begin with?"

"I wanted her help. I knew she had been championing for others who had been Death Eaters or associated with Death Eaters like Draco and Narcissa Malfoy. If I wanted to be a free man, I knew I had to go through her."

Hermione smiled. She was so proud — he stuck to the truth and didn't lose his temper at Penelope's rapid firing questions.

"And she agreed to help you?" Penelope continued.

Colin nodded. "She did. And here we are."

"Are you aware that it is against the law for a citizen of the United Kingdom to harbor a known fugitive?"

"I am but —"

"Objection!" Lee shouted from the side, standing from his seat. "This question is irrelevant."

"Sustained. Miss Clearwater, withdraw your question," Kingsley said calmly.

"Yes, Minister. But Hermione Granger committed a crime. She —"

"Miss Clearwater. Now is not the time for arguments and need I remind you that this is a trial for Colin Mulciber, not Hermione Granger," Kingsley said, in such an even tone that Hermione almost wished he would have yelled instead.

"Of course. I have no further questions, Minister," Penelope said, walking toward her seat, a spring no longer noticeable in her step.

"Any additional questions from the defense or the prosecution?" Kingsley asked, looking at Lee and Penelope.

"No, Minister," they replied in unison.

"Very well. Mister Jordan, your closing statement then."

"Thank you, Minister. And thank you to the ladies and gentlemen of the Wizengamot, for taking time out of your busy schedules to be here today," Lee started, and Hermione could do nothing but smile. He knew how to work a jury — his charm coming into play. She could see why he had been friends with Fred and George — they were one in the same.

"So let's review. My client, Colin Mulciber was a known Death Eater throughout the first and second Wizarding Wars. What you saw today was testimony by Colin himself, Rodolphus Lestrange, AND Malcolm Avery tell you, the Wizengamot that Colin was not himself when under Voldemort's rule. He was, in fact, under one of the unforgivable curse — the Imperius," Lee continued. Hermione had goosebumps and was on the edge of her seat. This was going to make or break everything.

"In the eighties, Colin was given an unfair trial and after the end of the second Wizarding War, chose to run instead of being convicted unfairly once more. Can you blame him? Our justice system hasn't always been the greatest we can all admit, but let's show everyone that we can, in fact, deliver justice. I implore you all, when you go back to the room to deliberate, to really look at all of the evidence presented today. We are not asking you do anything but base your decision on the evidence that you have heard today and deliver fair justice. Colin Mulciber is innocent of crimes committed during both the first and second Wizarding Wars. Thank you all very much," Lee finished and returned to his seat. He sought Hermione's eyes and gave her a nod and smile.

Hermione let out a breath. If Lee thought it had gone well and was all smiles, she could relax a little bit as well.

"Miss Clearwater, present your closing argument," Kingsley said once more, gesturing for Penelope to take the floor.

"Thank you, Minister. I want to thank everyone for spending today observing this case, and I have to say I can't remember ever seeing members of the Wizengamot so attentive. I appreciate you all taking notes and asking questions throughout this long day. The decision you make today will impact our community forever," Penelope said, taking a pause.

Hermione rolled her eyes. She was doing her job well —letting that thought sink into the minds of the Wizengamot before continuing.

"Let me say that one more time. The decision you all make today will impact our community forever. I say this because this court case will set a precedent for how other cases are handled in the future. Despite many claims that Colin Mulciber was under the Imperius curse during his time as a Death Eater, he was still a loyal follower of Voldemort. Whether he remembers or not, he committed many horrible crimes during both wars," Penelope continued. Hermione was gritting her teeth at this point, and she moved around trying to gauge Colin's reaction with no success. She knew he felt horrible for the crimes he had committed even though he couldn't remember them and now Penelope was reopening old wounds.

"Again, I want the jury to really debate the evidence presented by the defense today — is it really enough to let a guilty man walk free? Remember, the decisions you make today will impact your community. Thank you." Penelope finished and returned to her seat as well.

"With that ladies and gentlemen, the Wizengamot and myself will retire to the attached room to begin the deliberation. Just a reminder that I will be no part of the decision; I am just there to observe and present the verdict," Kingsley announced. Members of the Wizengamot made their way to the attached room, Kingsley the only one left in the upper part of the courtroom.

"Deliberations will begin momentarily. Counsel, wait for further information from myself; just make sure we know where to find you once a decision is made," Kingsley said before stepping into the same room where Wizengamot members had disappeared to moments earlier.

Lee clapped his hands together. "Well, now we wait." Penelope rolled her eyes and stomped out of the courtroom. Spectators behind Harry and Hermione were filing out of the room as well, content to leave until the Wizengamot was ready with a verdict. She didn't recognize anyone she knew, and for that she was thankful — Rita skeeter was already doing enough damage. She had scuttled out as soon as Kingsley had left the room, most likely off to her office to write some ridiculous, blown-out-of-proportion story that made Hermione look like the bad guy. Oh well, that woman has been writing horrid stories since she was a teenager — it was something she would get over.

Hermione and Harry walked back down to the middle of the courtroom where Harry once more released Colin from his restraints.

As he rubbed his arms and wrists, Colin looked up at Lee and said, "How long will the Wizengamot deliberate?"

Lee shrugged. "It could be hours or longer. But hopefully only a few hours."

Hermione nodded in agreement. "I don't want this to drag into another day," she admitted. "It's stressing me out enough as it is."

"Calm down, Hermione," Harry said, grabbing her by the shoulders, rubbing her shoulders and neck. "I thought Lee killed his closing statement and Clearwater's paled in comparison."

Colin nodded his head in agreement. "You feel good about it?" Hermione asked, reaching for him. Colin pulled her into his lap, and she wrapped his arm around the neck, her head falling onto his shoulder.

"I think we did all that we could, cupcake. Thank you so much for everything," Colin whispered, placing a kiss on the top of her head, wrapping his arms around her. Hermione noticed Lee and Harry had moved away from them to chat quietly and she was grateful for the little bit of privacy.

"What's going to happen after this?" Hermione asked quietly.

"What do you want to happen after this? Assuming that we both don't end up in Azkaban that is," Colin said, grinning.

She playfully smacked him and sat up, "Don't say that. It's still a possibility that I will be tried for harboring a fugitive."

"Not the way Kingsley reprimanded Clearwater earlier. There is no way the Ministry will let their war heroine, Gryffindor Princess be sent to prison. Well, not in the middle of winter anyways," Colin said, laughing.

Hermione looked at him with that look that says _really_ and laughed, knowing he was just trying to lighten the mood.

"What time is it?" Colin asked. Hermione cast a tempus showing that it was just past two o'clock in the afternoon.

Hermione groaned. "I don't have the patience for this."

"That makes two of us, but complaining about it won't change anything cupcake. Let's talk to the others and see what we can do."

—

Over four hours later, a dinner on the floor of the courtroom, once again provided by Kreacher, the quartet were bored out of their minds. Penelope had walked back in not long before along with several curious spectators as well. The four jumped when the door attached to the courtroom where the Wizengamot was currently debating opened, and Kingsley stepped out.

"The Wizengamot has finished deliberating and is ready to give their verdict," he told those in the courtroom. Hermione, Harry, Colin, and Lee all hopped up to their feet and headed to their respective places, Colin once more taking his place in the center of the courtroom. Hermione took her seat, waiting with baited breath as the Wizengamot filed back in.

"Good evening, all," Kingsley said, his voice echoing off the much more empty courtroom. "All members of the Wizengamot are present, and I will read the verdict as the head of this body."

"In the case of the Ministry versus Colin Mulciber, the Wizengamot finds the defendant not guilty of all charges including serving in You-Know-Who's ranks as a loyal follower, committing crimes such as use of all three unforgivable curses and the murders and torture of various magical and muggle persons for the reason being that the defendant was under the Imperius curse."

Hermione was in such shock that she didn't even clap along with everyone else. She snapped back to reality when Harry pushed her with his shoulder.

"Thank you to the Wizengamot for sitting through this long day. I am excited for what the future holds," Kingsley said, and with a flourish of his wand, Colin was free, the appropriate paperwork flying into the hands of Lee Jordan.

Hermione couldn't help, but jump out of her seat and run to the floor of the courtroom where Colin stood. She launched herself into his arms, her legs wrapping around his waist and her arms clasped behind his neck.

"We did it! We did it! We did it!" she said, unable to contain her excitement. Colin peppered her face with kisses, holding her tight, not a care in the world that there were several curious bystanders watching them.

After several minutes, Colin finally set Hermione down and surprised everyone when he stalked over to Lee and engulfed him in a big hug. A surprised Lee laughed and returned the hug almost immediately, patting Colin on the back.

"Good luck, man," Lee said pulling away, shaking Colin's hand. "I got some paperwork to file, letting the Ministry know you are officially a free man. Send an owl sometime."

"Will do," Colin said with a smile.

Lee waved to Harry and made his way over to Hermione. This time, catching her by surprise when he wrapped his arms around her. "Thank you so much for reaching out to me," he whispered in her ear. "This was extremely rewarding." Hermione felt tears fall from her eyes at his heartfelt admission. If she could help at least one person realize their calling in life was to help others, then she felt successful.

"No thank you," Hermione said, pulling away, wiping away the tears. "I couldn't have done this without you."

Lee nodded his head, squeezed her hand and waved goodbye, rushing away to file the paperwork from the trial.

"What should we do now?" Hermione asked, looking at Colin and Harry.

"How about we go for a celebratory drink at the Leaky Cauldron?" Harry suggested. Hermione nodded. "That sounds like a good plan. Colin?"

"I think I'd rather celebrate in your bed, cupcake," Colin said, stalking his way over to his witch. He threw her over his shoulder and smacked her arse.

Hermione lifted her head and saw Harry standing there awkwardly, his hands pushed deep into his pockets, trying to ignore the fact Hermione was slung over Colin's shoulder.

"Harry, we'll meet you and Gin for dinner and drinks tomorrow? How does that sound?" Hermione suggested as Colin walked further and further away, intent on rushing home.

Harry smiled. "That sounds perfect, Hermione. Have fun." He winked at her, and before she could wave goodbye, they were out the door and down the hallway.

"You can put me down now."

"Nah, cupcake. I think I like this much better. Besides, I'm planning on throwing you onto the bed when we get home," he said, smacking her arse again.

Hermione groaned. She couldn't wait to get home and finally have her man, not only in her arms but in her bed and in her heart...for good.

* * *

 _Feel free to leave a review xx_


	6. Epilogue

_A/N: Well, this is the end! This short little epilogue wraps up this story. Thank you all so much for the love and reviews and for being on this journey with me! There will definitely be more Colin Mulciber and Malcolm Avery in the future xx_

* * *

"Cupcake, what are you doing?" Colin said, leaning against the door jamb. He watched his girlfriend try to sneak several books from school into her bag.

"Nothing," she said quickly, trying to hide what she was doing.

"You promised me no school work on this trip, remember? Plus, you are on holiday, and you just finished a set of classes, with new ones starting in January. What is there that you need to do?" He asked, squatting down in front of her grabbing the backpack away. He started unpacking the books she had just placed inside.

"I need to get a head start, Colin! I still have to read all of my textbooks and highlight key points in each," she tried to reason with him, trying to pull the backpack out of his grasp.

"We will be back in two weeks from the mountains. You can start then, I promise. Please cupcake," Colin begged her.

"I can't help agree with you when you beg and call me cupcake," Hermione said, sitting up on her knees and placing a chaste kiss on his lips.

"Brilliant," he said, pulling away and standing up. He held his hand out to her to help her up and guide her to the fireplace. He wasn't letting her back out of his sight — he wouldn't put it past her to actually sneak some books on their holiday. He waved his wand toward their bedroom, banishing their belongings to the cabin.

They then stepped into the fireplace and moments later they arrived back at the cabin where it had all started one year prior.

"Looks the same, doesn't it?" Hermione asked, stepping out of the fireplace. "It's almost as if nothing has changed. Not true of course, everything has changed."

"For the better, I might add," Colin said, stepping out of the fireplace behind Hermione, brushing soot off his trousers.

"Should I make us some breakfast food for old times sake?" Hermione suggested.

"I think we should get drunk and sleep in the same bed for old times sake. Remember?"

"Ah, yes. I do remember," Hermione said, laughing. "I believe I fell asleep on the couch and you carried me up to the only bed in this cabin and proceeded to crawl in beside me." She shook her head at the absurdity of it all.

"What?" he asked, walking off toward the kitchen. He returned moments later with a bottle of wine and two glasses in hand.

"I still can't believe you crawled into bed with me that night. I should have cursed you the next morning."

"Hey! I was the perfect gentleman. Plus, we were both horribly hungover the next morning if I remember correctly. There is no way either of us could perform any magic before consuming a hangover potion."

They collapsed onto the couch with full glasses of wine, Hermione's legs draped over Colin's.

"Cheers, cupcake" Colin said, lifting his glass. After knocking their glasses together, they spent the rest of the evening getting drunk off of cheap wine, eating finger foods and reminiscing about their lives over the past year. Needless to say, this time they did more than just drunkenly fall asleep in each other's arms.

* * *

 _If you are in some need of more Colin Mulciber and Hermione right this second, head over to Vino Amore's author page. She gifted a Mulciber and Hermione story to me for Love Fest 2018. It is brilliant! xx_


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